Battle for access to Preston war memorial will rumble on says defiant campaigner

The historic monument, in the grounds of the former Harris Orphanage in Fulwood, is to remain behind railings now the city's planning committee has passed a scheme for a gated community on the Grade II Listed site.

Retired entertainer Tony Slater has been fighting for five years to have the memorial open for the public to pay their respects all year round and not just on Remembrance Sunday.

Now, after councillors approved a controversial housing development on the privately-owned Harris Park, Tony told the Post: "It is just not acceptable to have a war memorial hidden away from the public like this. There was a plan to move it outside the gates to a space next to Garstang Road. But that appears to have been dropped now and it seems it is going to stay where it is.

"Access to the memorial is important for a lot of people. So I fully intend to take up the cudgels once more and fight on to get it unlocked."

The memorial, which depicts a young soldier standing guard, commemorates 17 former orphanage boys who gave their lives during the First World War. The monument was erected in 1924 and bears the names of the fallen. Almost a century on it still in its original place in front of the main orphanage building, visible from Garstang Road but off-limits to the public.

Tony, 86, who has raised a colossal amount for charity during his lifetime, launched a campaign in 2017 to move the statue to the grounds of a Fulwood primary school. But that scheme stalled. Today he says he and his band of supporters are ready to revive the plan to find it a new home to make sure it is not forgotten when the "posh" estate around it gets up and running.

"Our main priority is to make sure this war memorial, like the cenotaph in the centre of Preston, is available for people to visit, to maybe sit a while and remember the sacrifice our servicemen and women made so we could live a free life," he said.

"The money is in place to spruce it up and to build some benches and planters around it to make it a bit of a peace garden. Whether that is where it is now, or on the roadside, or in the primary school garden, it doesn't matter. The gates are regularly closed at the moment, so we don't have access to the memorial apart from in November. But that is not going to improve once it becomes a gated community.

"Personally I thought moving it to the school grounds would have been ideal - after all the orphanage was a school for many years. It's sad to see it closed off like this. I know people who have travelled up from London to visit the war memorial and been unable to get to it. It's disgraceful really.

"I would like to do it up and bring it back to how it looked when it was first erected almost 100 years ago. It would be nice to have benches and things next to it for people to stay a while, contemplate what it means and maybe say a prayer. There isn't an awful lot that needs doing to the statue itself.

"But those poor lads who are remembered on the memorial made the ultimate sacrifice to protect freedom in Europe and we should be doing what we can to make sure they aren't forgotten.

"Many people don't even know it's there - I didn't until a few years ago - and that's such a shame. I would like it to be more prominent so people know there is an alternative to the one in the Flag Market they can visit and give thanks.

"No matter what we suggest you'll find people who will object. But something needs doing, we can't sit on our hands and do nothing. I want to make this memorial fit for another 100 years. Let's just have a debate about it and decide on something which commemorates these heroes.

"Personally I favour keeping it in front of the old orphanage, maybe moving it 10 yards further forward to give it more space. But I'd be happy if we moved it to the roadside, outside this site, or re-erected it at the school. Just let's do something."

Tony says he has spoken to owner Yousuf Bhailok and found him "agreeable" to resolving the issue. "I can't criticise him, he has been very sympathetic. He even offered to pay for the re-siting of it at the school. He's not the bad guy. But problems just seem to get in the way when we try to sort things out.

"I get that the people who will be living here in this gated community won't want folk swarming all over the place when they should have privacy. I wouldn't want that either. But somehow there must be a compromise that we can all agree on. Someone needs to make a decision on this because it has been dragging on far too long."

The memorial was unveiled 98 years ago to remember the old boys of the orphanage who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War One. It stands in front of the orphanage's main building which is due to be converted to residential along with other Grade II Listed buildings in the complex.

The Harris Orphanage was opened in 1888 and was closed as a children’s home in 1982, having cared for more than 2,200 boys and girls during its 94 years. Preston Polytechnic - later to become the University of Central Lancashire – took over the premises as an education hub and eventually sold it to Yousuf Bhailok in 2006 for around £6m.