It’s our history

Many can remember receiving treatment there, before the health authorities in the mid 1990s downsized the medical facilities available in Knutsford in order to save money.

Furthermore, it is insulting to suggest that the time for protest was some 20 years ago, when many were outraged at the prospect of ‘their’ hospital being handed over to the British Red Cross, and the protests were loud and clear at the time of the proposals.

Feelings were somewhat assuaged by reassurances from the British Red Cross that services on the site would continue in the same spirit as that outlined in Lester Warren’s original covenant, and that the war memorial would be safe in their hands.

Despite having acquired the building in a somewhat unusual manner, no one envisaged that at some time in the future a trusted organisation like the British Red Cross would think of selling the building, apparently viewing part of Knutsford’s history as an investment development opportunity.

Setting aside the established fact that the building is the war memorial, the reference to the proposed new memorial is unclear, unless it in connection with the Haron Baronian stature, which is not the war memorial.

In any event this leaves unresolved the matter of the actual memorials which list the fallen in two world wars, and even if it were possible to remove them where could they safely be relocated for posterity?

Some respondents have expressed the view that those involved in the current campaign are being selfish as their actions could deprive the British Red Cross of funds which might be used to alleviate suffering in other parts of the world.

However, donating money to a particular charity is a personal decision, and no charitable organisation should have the right to arbitrarily dispose of a town’s history, to fund whatever good causes they choose to support.

Mabel Taylor Knutsford