Campaigners demand Wellington clock stays in town square

More than 40 placard waving campaigners who are fighting to keep a memorial clock in the centre of Wellington packed out a meeting calling for it to be saved.

Residents fighting against Wellington Town Council's proposal to move the clock out to the town square turned up at the annual town meeting last night and handed in a petition with more than 1,300 names of support.

Placards which read "Tick tock save the Wellington community clock" were waved about during the meeting.

Peter Jones, spokesman for the campaign, who presented the petition to the town council, said: "The clock originally cost £10,000, and 75 per cent of that cost was met by local contributions.

"For some it was simply to mark their involvement in this symbol of our civic pride, but for others it was to act as a memorial to a loved one.

"The clock has become an iconic landmark in a relatively short time.

"The look and feel of this clock fits perfectly in the Market Square, but it looks completely out of place in front of the new, very modern, Civic Centre, the current proposed resting place for our clock.

"People have told us that losing the clock was like losing a friend, they saw it as a meeting point and a familiar greeting symbol of Wellington."

Town Mayor Graham Riley said: "You were all aware that at the last council meeting the motion was passed that nothing would be done until the next council meeting on May 17, that's as it stands now."

A proposal was made for the council to carry out a poll, costing in excess of £10,000, if the council decided against returning the clock to its original position but was voted out.

By Paul Mannion