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DESPERATE FIGHT TO SAVE SALFORD CHILDRENS HOLIDAY CAMP
 

Star date: 17th April 2014

SALFORD COUNCIL CUTS £50,000 FROM `JAM BUTTY' CAMP

Jam Butty Camp Fundraiser
Saturday 3rd May
Welcome Inn, Robert Hall St, Ordsall
1-6pm Free 7pm £2 entry

`What do I think is behind the cut? The sale of the land' Nick Abbott

When Salford Council announced it was going to cut £50,000 from the Salford Children's Holiday Camp in Wales, where thousands of youngsters have had their first holiday, the Camp's trustees stated that it would close.

Since then, the community has leapt into action, raised thousands of pounds, and now has a business plan to take over the Camp. But Salford Council is stalling over the proposals. Why?

Full details here…


Salford Children's Holiday Camp Salford Children's Holiday Camp Salford Children's Holiday Camp
Salford Children's Holiday Camp
click image to enlarge

"When my children were in their last year of primary school they both went to the Jam Butty Camp" recalls Rose Wedge "They're now in their late twenties but I remember that they both came back having had an absolutely wonderful time. It was their first experience of going away with other kids on their own.  And for a lot of kids it was the only holiday they got, or their first holiday by the seaside.

"Even today there's still kids in Salford who never get a holiday, who have never seen the seaside" she adds "It used to be that every kid in Salford got that one chance to have a holiday and they are taking that away from a lot of kids now. That's why I'm supporting the campaign to keep it open."

Anyone who had any experience of the Salford Children's Holiday Camp, or the Jam Butty Camp as it's affectionately known, was horrified to learn recently that Salford Council was to cut its full £50,000 funding of the complex. Which is almost two thirds of the Camp's entire income.

While the Camp is run by a charity and its trustees as a separate entity from the Council, the ties are close, in that it's run by Salford Community Leisure with the Civic Centre as its formal address and the Council as its formal email address. Councillor Bernard Pennington is also a Trustee of the Camp.

Indeed, the 38 Degrees online petition* - currently with over 1,500 signatures against the closure - is directed at Salford City Mayor, Ian Stewart, and Salford City Council…

"Your cuts to this service have now forced its closure" it reads "something that we find totally unacceptable."

In answers to a question at last month's full Council meeting, John Merry Assistant Mayor for Children and Young People, affirmed that "the Council is not responsible for the Camp…we give it a donation of £50,000", and asked for evidence from the Save The Jam Butty Camp campaign group that it could be kept open.

Meanwhile, trustee, Councillor Bernard Pennington, stood up and argued that the Camp wasn't attracting enough children, that it needed expensive asbestos removal work doing and that he "couldn't see any way we could raise in excess of £50,000". All of which was greeted with derision by campaigners in the public gallery, who disputed the attendance figures and his `fact' that £50,000 couldn't be raised.

"I have asked them [the campaigners] to provide me with a written proposal and then we will discuss it with Council officers" Pennington added "At this point in time we have reached a hiatus and the Camp is closed."

Outside the Council meeting, Nick Abbott, who has spearheaded the campaign to save the Camp, was scornful of the gaggle of Assistant Mayors, Mayor and councillors inside…

"This is the first time I've attended a Council meeting and it's quite sad that they are letting the people of this city down" he said "Looking at pictures of Mayors from the past that are on the walls, I know how much they raised for the Camp, our current Mayor has raised nothing.

"We've got sixty councillors, a Mayor, twelve assistants etc, and not one of them has made any sense to me this morning, other than talking about establishing links with NASA and the European Space Agency to help the kids of Salford" he added "Work that one out!"

Nick was also scornful of the claim that `£50,000 couldn't be raised'

"When I heard that they were cutting the funding to the Camp and got calls asking me to help raise money, within a week we'd set up a Facebook campaign and a Just Giving page, and we'd done more to raise awareness of the Camp than the Camp itself or the Council has ever done" he explained "Before that, if you wanted to donate money to the Camp you couldn't; there was no mechanism, it was quite frankly embarrassing."

Having got the social media campaign in motion, Nick said that donations or pledges to carry out the needed refurbishment work hit £25,000 within two days. And he reeled off a whole list of the best known social organisations and companies in the city which had offered to help, including City West Housing Trust, Salford Reds Foundation and the Salford Foundation, of which he is a board member.

Since the Council meeting other companies in Salford have pledged thousands of pounds towards saving the Camp and there have been loads of fundraising events including by children and staff at Primrose Hill School

"The Trustees need to take note that the children want to save their camp" wrote Marie Hassall on the campaign Facebook page "If they are doing everything they can, why aren't you?"

There's also a Jam Butty Camp Fundraiser on 3rd May at the Welcome Inn in Ordsall with free kids' entertainment all day and an adult event at night.

Meanwhile, the business plan that Salford Council asked for was handed in by the campaign almost a month ago with no response to a request for a meeting. Now, the Save The Jam Butty Camp campaigners are so incensed about Salford Council's attitude, they are talking about standing candidates at the local elections to try to oust non-listening councillors.

All of which is very strange. Salford Council has cut £50,000 of funding to the Camp. The campaign says it has raised more than enough funds for the Camp to stay open – and is still urging people to donate**. Yet the Camp remains closed. What is going on?

Outside the Council meeting, Nick was insistent that it was all about the sale of the land in Prestatyn on which the Salford Children's Holiday Camp stands…

"I spoke to a Council officer who said attendance at the Camp is falling and `We have had an offer in writing'" he explained "I said `Surely there must be a covenant on the land for the children?' and she said `We can't find the deeds'.

"In their accounts it only values the land at £500,000 – for eight acres of prime residential land!...What do I think is behind the cut? The sale of the land" he concluded….

Jam Butty Camp Fundraiser
Saturday 3rd May
Welcome Inn, Robert Hall St, Ordsall
1-6pm Free 7pm £2
Tickets available from the pub in advance.

* To sign the online petition - click here

**To donate Text the word SJBC50 £1 to 70070

**See also the Save The Jam Butty Camp Just Giving website – click here

Follow the campaign on Twitter @JamButtyCamp

On Facebook: Save The Jam Butty Camp – click here

Gregory Brindley wrote
at 23:36:12 on 04 May 2014
@Kenneth, you keep hijacking articles to try and spread you communist message but the articles you hijack are nothing to do with your soviet principals and your inept battle against UKIP. Ken either start replying on the correct thread or stop commenting, all you are doing is pi55ing off people like me, people who support good causes like the childrens holiday camp. It's Labour/ Green supporters like yourselves that are shafting the kids of Salford. Shame on you and your Green, Liberal, and Labour followers. Mayor sewer rat loves people like you that offer no real alternative.
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Kenneth w mckelvey wrote
at 08:03:00 on 04 May 2014
A few things the voters should know before they vote for UKIP. On UKIPs itinerary is a few disturbing things/ I think they have kept quite about they intend if elected to / Abandon all action on Climate Change /Abolish all laws regarding Human Rights / .They want paid maternity leave abolishing /Want to Raise income tax for the lowest paid 88% But more Cuts for the Top 18%/ Want to speed up the sell off of the NHS /Cancel all paid holidays for the ordinary people / Stop all the building of Affordable homes /Abolish all laws on Human Rights/Cancel all laws that make Banking Safer/Cut the spending on Education/ Order three new Aircraft Carriers for the Royal Navy.
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wrote
at 22:58:12 on 02 May 2014
VOTE THEM ALL OUT .
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wrote
at 09:47:05 on 27 April 2014
We must all bombard the arrogant clowncil cretins with e-mails and phone calls . Let them know how disgusted we are at this latest betrayal of Salford People . Our Jam Butty Camp is NOT their's to sell . Pure greed as usual . Send out a clear message - OUT HOLIDAY CAMP IS NOT FOR SALE . Lets all vote these arrogant slime OUT .
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Mrs Irene crumb( was Stamford) wrote
at 19:24:04 on 24 April 2014
The Salford Children's Holiday Camp belongs to the children of Salford as stayted in the deeds so how can they think of selling when it does not belong to any council or Commitee?? The excuses they have used are pathetic but we all know what happens when they see the money that they could spend on othe stupid things. LEAVE. The camp alone raise your money somewhere else and let the children of Salford continue to have great memories of their holidays there.
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Nick Abbott wrote
at 21:37:19 on 21 April 2014
Correction. I am not a property developer. As for the sustainability of the camp, we have almost replaced the entire level of funding that used to be provided by the council. Not just for one year, but year on year. In addition, we have raised enough money to carry out the whole of the building works and more. This is the reason the council gave for the closure of the camp. Whilst the numbers attending the camp are much reduced from the 50s and 60s, attendance has not fallen and remains at around 400 places a year. Insufficient teachers attending as supervisors is also a myth and yet another cheap shot at the teaching profession. More teachers want to attend than can be currently accommodated by the camp. We have solved this issue by securing funding for additional teachers accommodation. The only obstacle remaining is the lack of any response by the council and their refusal to meet us to discuss our plans
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kenneth mckelvey wrote
at 21:36:32 on 21 April 2014
How are Salford ever going to be able to afford all these Fat Cats on £150k a yr How many more are going to be employed before our Citys resources are drained dry / No wonder the City is looking like down town Mogadisho We have more Fat Cats / Councellors / Managers / Inspectors/ etc And less and less Council work people We are now in a situation where we have more bosses in the Offices than People on the streets Bin collections in Weaste Village are going into every 3rd week its an absolute Disgrace. Surely it is time to stop running our City Like a playground forTop Dogs and a Hell on Earth for its Inhabitants.
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marie hassall wrote
at 20:27:01 on 19 April 2014
Basically if the land ceases to be a viable community use to the children of Salford selling it on could become an option. I personally would suggest they are forcing it to become run down for that purpose.
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mike wrote
at 20:26:07 on 19 April 2014
As far as i understand Nick Abbott (property developer) offered to buy the land for a £1 and carry on running the camp, but for how long and how much could he achieve after that. The other problem was the falling number of children accessing the camp, in the current climate many teachers find it difficult to work 24/7 at the camp whilst their workload keeps rising under the current Ofsted regulations and Gove tinkering which sees many teachers working over 56 hours a week. so it is just not the council but other factors coming into play. a fuller explanation would have been nice in the story but i wouldn't expect it
?
Lee Craven MBE wrote
at 20:24:40 on 19 April 2014
Well written Salford Star..Thank You
?
Vote them out wrote
at 09:14:47 on 18 April 2014
Surely by now Salford people must realize the agenda the spineless clowncil parasites work to . That is , whatever stuffs money in their deep , grubby pockets . This is clearly another crime against the people of Salford , as Mary says . can't find the deeds ? how convenient . I suspect this land has been gifted by a benefactor for use as a childrens camp . We must challenge the right of the clowncil parasites to sell off this land to another grasping speculator . We must send a clear message to mayor greedy and his parasite army that our holiday camp is not for sale Let's vote these useless parasites out in May . Vote only for alternative candidates who put Salford people first . These parasites clearly do not . .
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mary ferrer wrote
at 05:39:32 on 18 April 2014
Does Salford council own the land? Like you have said in the artical,it sounds like another hidden agenda. They are there again hitting the most needy of the city. They can find money to top up the no longer community stadium,that they own half of,yet they can't find the money for this project that benifits our children. Another crime against the people of Salford
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