Schoolchildren to help come up with ideas for Darwen Tower

7:00pm Tuesday 1st January 2013 in News

SCHOOLCHILDREN in Darwen have been asked to come up with ideas for projects to help brighten up the town’s top attraction.

The Friends of Darwen Tower formed last year to help maintain the 116-year-old monument on the top of the moors.

And the group is hoping to get off the ground properly this year, with children from Darwen Vale and Darwen Academy asked to come up with ideas.

A meeting is to be held from 6.30pm next Tuesday at Bridge Street Sports and Social Club, where the six-strong committee will put together plans for the coming year.

Group treasurer Stephen Potter said the group was almost ready to begin work.

He said: “We have got children from Vale and DACA involved and we want to give them a chance to put forward ideas.

“We will see what they come up with and then take it from there.

“Ideas they have already suggested included a fun run to help raise money for the group and planting flowers around the tower to make it more attractive.”

Mr Potter said there had been a lot of interest in the group, with a number of people turning up to the meetings already held.

He said there was money in the bank ready to be used to fund the group’s projects.

Mr Potter also said recent vandalism at the tower was sad to see and those responsible should think about their actions.

He said: “The tower is an iconic feature of Darwen and it should be used and advertised in a way that reflects this.

“All that is going to happen if this vandalism keeps happening is they will lock it up, which would defeat the object.

“That is the last thing anybody wants to see.”

Anyone interested in helping the group with its projects can email Mr Potter at stephenpotter44@yahoo.co.uk

Comments(18)

darwenTower says...
7:25pm Tue 1 Jan 13

Who is 'they' who will lock the tower up?
Who's tower is it?

If it gets locked up then the vandals have won, i'd rather be able to get into a tower with a bit of marker pen on it than not be able to get in at all.

It might help if we stopped turning these delinquents into minor celebrities.

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djt says...
7:39pm Tue 1 Jan 13

I thought (some) teenagers of Darwen have already came up with there own "artwork" for Darwen Tower?

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Dai Darwen says...
8:25pm Tue 1 Jan 13

The Friends of Darwen Tower formed last year to help maintain the 116-year-old monument on the top of the moors.

If the group was formed to help maintain the Tower, which does not appear to be the case. Would it not be better that they meet with the people already responsible for maintaining the Tower and work together on a plan of maintenance. This way they can help maintain the Tower.

Can a group of six people set themselves up and decide what can happen with a patch of land on Darwen Moors ?

Something does not ring true here.

I am not criticising the group's intention and fully support the maintaining of the Tower but it all seems a little ill prepared or ill reported.

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happycyclist says...
9:00pm Tue 1 Jan 13

Maintenance of the tower surely means keeping it in good condition. I contacted my local councillors about the pointing prior to the new dome being put on in 2011, along with the state of the steps. Last time I was up there, the steps had been fixed and pointed, but there is still some loose masonry on the parapets which needs sorting out. BwDBC are failing in their duty to maintain the tower. I could shove one of the big stones off -and that is potentially lethal. Another is very loose and only secured with an iron bar. This isn't going to get better on its own.

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fireonthemountain says...
9:07pm Tue 1 Jan 13

Dai Darwen - I agree 100% .

How people can come out of nowhere
and decide THEY are going to make decisons is beyond me .

Sounds like another talking shop .
Quango .

Money is available . Really ? Whose money would that be I wonder ? Ah - I
guess it's my rates .

Quick - give another six useless council employees something to do .
Make them feel important .
Let's have another meeting .

Meanwhile back in the real world -

We would not dream of going to Darwen Tower - too many nasties about . When did The Police Force last take a stroll there ?

Sort out the vermin first .
Make Darwen a decent place to visit .

Darwen Tower is "our top attraction" .

Is it ?

I would have thought Darwen's most visited places were -

1 - The Benefits Office (aka The Job Centre) .
2 - Greggs (where the great unwashed feed their children) .
3 - Anywhere the above can buy their next fix .

How sad .

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sean_brfc says...
9:10pm Tue 1 Jan 13

Colourful lights to light it up at night would be amazing. Have a look at some pictures of Chartres cathedral. The lighting displays are brilliant. Standing atop the moors it would look pretty special.

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CapitaBackHander says...
9:22pm Tue 1 Jan 13

They the council are not going to lock it up because they the council didn't even pay for the dome. I wish people with no authority would stop saying these things to the L.E.T who are obsessed with this non story.
Flower bed is the most expsense i would pay. There is no reason to spend money on making it attractive. Focus, who are you trying to attract that would't already go up there? Money on upkeep is valid.

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fireonthemountain says...
10:31pm Tue 1 Jan 13

Sure - problem is this .

I spend a lot of money on the upkeep
of my car .It is mechanically perfect .

But it has not been washed , since I bought it . I don't want it to attract the "Magpies" attention .

I remember what happened to my last car - which had "diamond paint" .
It sparkled regardless of the weather .

Flower beds ? - not a good plan .

We had (note use of past tense) a
superb rose bush in our front garden .

It's gone . As are our wild strawberries .

Neighbour put two hanging baskets on either side of her front door .

Didn't last twenty-four hours .

Moral of the story ?

Be aware that there are those who
are jealous . Who delight in the destruction of what they can never acheive .

Flower beds near The Tower ?
Sorry my friend . Good plan , I agree ,
but.......

How sad .

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Dai Darwen says...
11:00pm Tue 1 Jan 13

happycyclist wrote:
Maintenance of the tower surely means keeping it in good condition. I contacted my local councillors about the pointing prior to the new dome being put on in 2011, along with the state of the steps. Last time I was up there, the steps had been fixed and pointed, but there is still some loose masonry on the parapets which needs sorting out. BwDBC are failing in their duty to maintain the tower. I could shove one of the big stones off -and that is potentially lethal. Another is very loose and only secured with an iron bar. This isn't going to get better on its own.
happyc
You mention a very serious defect in the Tower structure. BwDBC must repair this defect before a serious accident happens.
Perhaps Friends of Darwen Tower could supply some funding to assist the BwDBC, see : http://www.lancashir
etelegraph.co.uk/new
s/darwen/8888429.Cas
h_boost_for_Friends_
of_Darwen_Tower/

I suggest there is money here for a very fine "garden" in keeping with the moorland.

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2 for 5p says...
11:03pm Tue 1 Jan 13

Give us 4kg of TNT that should do the trick

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2 for 5p says...
11:03pm Tue 1 Jan 13

Give us 4kg of TNT that should do the trick

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darwenTower says...
11:21pm Tue 1 Jan 13

2 for 5p wrote:
Give us 4kg of TNT that should do the trick
Indeed, light it at the bottom, you could climb to the top and go back to your home planet.

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2 for 5p says...
11:58pm Tue 1 Jan 13

darwenTower wrote:
2 for 5p wrote:
Give us 4kg of TNT that should do the trick
Indeed, light it at the bottom, you could climb to the top and go back to your home planet.
Yes I agree planet reality it would get me away from you moronic bunch

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slammer says...
8:30am Wed 2 Jan 13

Flowerbeds don't fit in with the grandeur of the moors, sorry bad idea!
Stabilize the tower as Happycyclist says and make a decent job of it so that it won't have to worry about it in the next 118 years.
The tower is not just a symbol of Darwen that belongs to Darwen alone, it is more a symbol of the entire region, a focal point for people from miles around to orientate.
By the way what happened to the sale of casts of the tower? I have been looking for one for ages now and the closest thing I can find that truly represents the region is a fake softwood shuttlecock with a watch embedded.

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chris283 says...
11:20am Wed 2 Jan 13

what a load of crap why is this making the news paper who cares

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slammer says...
4:24pm Wed 2 Jan 13

chris283 wrote:
what a load of crap why is this making the news paper who cares
I care.

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Kiwihead says...
8:37pm Thu 3 Jan 13

fireonthemountain wrote:
Dai Darwen - I agree 100% . How people can come out of nowhere and decide THEY are going to make decisons is beyond me . Sounds like another talking shop . Quango . Money is available . Really ? Whose money would that be I wonder ? Ah - I guess it's my rates . Quick - give another six useless council employees something to do . Make them feel important . Let's have another meeting . Meanwhile back in the real world - We would not dream of going to Darwen Tower - too many nasties about . When did The Police Force last take a stroll there ? Sort out the vermin first . Make Darwen a decent place to visit . Darwen Tower is "our top attraction" . Is it ? I would have thought Darwen's most visited places were - 1 - The Benefits Office (aka The Job Centre) . 2 - Greggs (where the great unwashed feed their children) . 3 - Anywhere the above can buy their next fix . How sad .
Hilarious!!

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Tegatani says...
10:14am Wed 9 Jan 13

I note with some interest, comments from those contributors with some semblance of intelligence and literacy, however it must be pointed out that it is not the intention of The friends of Darwen Tower to undertake maintenance work, as this comes under the jurisdiction of Blackburn with Darwen council, and any work carried out, needs approval of English Heritage. The group has been formed by local people with the sole interest in observing and reporting any deterioration in the fabric of the tower, also to keep the surrounding area free from litter and encourage those people expressing negative comments to take a similar interest in what is a Darwen icon and instead of airing negative views in this newspaper, attend the next meeting and show your faces.

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