lep.co.
uk
QUESTIONS
... BUT NO
ANSWERS
THESE are the 10 questions
the LEP has put to the
trustees of the football mu-
seum – so far they have
failed to reply:
1. Why did you leave it so
late to deal with the finan-
cial problems?
2. Have you actively put to-
gether the move bid with
Manchester?
3. Why did you not ask local
councils in Lancashire for
help?
4. If this is just a financial
problem why do you not ac-
cept the local bid now?
5. What will be the criteria
for choosing one bid over
the other?
6. If the museum goes to
Manchester what will hap-
pen to the staff during the
likely 18-month closedown?
7. If financial problems are
so urgent why did you can-
cel the decision meeting of
October 23?
8. Did you consult all
trustees before cancelling
the meeting?
9. When finances are tight
and the marketing budget
has been cut by £100,000
why has money been spent
on appointing a Cheshire-
based PR agency to handle
this issue?
10. How will a museum in
Manchester prosper without
important exhibits, eg Sir
Tom Finney’s collection?
WHO ARE
THE NFM
TRUSTEES?
● Paul Dermody OBE –
Chairman of Trustees. Pre-
vious chief executive of the
De Vere Group and current
chairman of North West
Tourism Skills Network. He
is also a non-executive di-
rector of Majestic Wine.
● Fayyaz Ahmed Ali – Direc-
tor of Lancashire Youth As-
sociation, senior business
analyst and database ad-
ministrator at UCLan.
● Simon Barker – Head of
liaison, Professional Foot-
ballers’ Association.
● Mandy Digby – Head of
human resources, De Vere
Group.
● Kevin Ellard – Councillor
and Labour group deputy
leader at Lancashire Coun-
ty Council.
● Alan Farquharson – Retired
North-West based lawyer.
● Catherine Long – Head of
customer strategy at the
Premier League.
● Alasdair McNee – Director
of corporate services,
Chester Zoo.
● Clive Memmott – Chief
executive, Business Link
Lancashire.
● Sir Howard Newby – Vice-
Chancellor, University of Liv-
erpool
● Ian Penrose – Chief exec-
utive, Sportech PLC
● Moira Stevenson – Deputy
director, Manchester City Art
Galleries
● Geoff Thompson – FIFA
Vice-President, Football As-
sociation chairman
● Bill Tyson – Preston coun-
cillor
FIRM VIEWS: Mark
Lawrenson speaks at
the National Football
Museum during Sir
Tom Finney Day
earlier this year
Mark my words...
museum must stay
Lawrenson contradicts ‘official’ museum quote
by Chris Visser
chris.visser@lep.co.uk
MARK Lawrenson
today insisted he’s fully
behind the fight to keep
the National Football
Museum in Preston.
The Preston-born televi-
sion football pundit, who is
also a special ambassador
for the museum, spoke out
after comments attributed
to him were e-mailed to
trustees by museum general
manager David Pearson.
Last month an ‘official’ Mark
Lawrenson quote sent by Mr
Pearson to trustees said: “I
would like to see the museum
stay in Preston, my home town,
but I understand the trustees
have to make a very difficult de-
cision and either way I will con-
tinue to give the museum my
full support.”
But when speaking to the
Evening Post yesterday, a dif-
ferent tone emerged.
The former Liverpool star,
who won the European Cup in
1984, said: “It should just be in
Preston, especially when they
have come up with the funding.
“I understand the Manches-
ter argument, but we were the
ones originally who took the
chance with it and nobody else
was sniffing around.
“I don’t really want to go
down the road of he said, she
said. I want it to remain in Pre-
ston and I’m sick to death of
the politics of the whole thing.”
Join the campaign to keep our
football treasures in Preston.
Please sign this form and send
to:
Chris Visser,
Lancashire Evening Post,
Oliver’s Place, Eastway
PRESTON
PR2 9ZA
I, the undersigned, petition the Prime
Minister to keep the National Football
Museum in Preston
Name:
Address:
When asked what he would
think if the trustees move it to
Manchester, he said: “I’d be
very disappointed.”
The Evening Post sent all 14
museum trustees 10 important
questions it wants them to an-
swer, but so far none have re-
sponded.
Frank McKenna is chairman
of the Downtown Preston in
Business group, which has
joined the Evening Post in cam-
paigning to keep the National
Football Museum in Preston.
He said: “The trustees have a
responsibility to be as trans-
parent as they can.
“They have a responsibility
to the community of Preston
who, as Mark Lawrenson has
said, have been the only peo-
ple interested in the football
Evening Post, Tuesday, November 3, 2009 7
FEARS: Salim Nakhuda
Jump River
Ribble man
is identified
A MAN feared drowned in
the River Ribble in Preston
has been identified.
It is thought Salim
Nakhuda, 26, was seen
going into the water on
Monday, October 26 and
never re-surfaced.
At around 3pm a PC and
two PCSOs saw a man, be-
lieved to be Mr Nakhuda,
jumping into the river from
a bridge near to Old Tram
Road in Avenham.
For the next 20 minutes
he was seen swimming
down the river and walking
on sand banks. Unsuccess-
ful attempts were made to
throw him a lifeline.
He was seen going under
the water and never re-sur-
faced.
Det Insp Dave McKen-
na, of Preston CID, said:
“There is a very small
chance that he may have
managed to get out of the
water and I would ask any-
body who may have seen
him since last Monday to
contact police.”
Save
ur
Museum
museum and back it to the hilt.
“My advice to the trustees is
to make the decision on the
basis of the facts before them
and demonstrate some loyalty
back to the city.”
But the museum’s new PR
agency Communicado did re-
veal how much has been spent
on them to answer press ques-
tions relating to the museum.
A spokesman said: “Com-
municado has taken on the PR
activity for the Museum on a
pro-bono basis as part of our
own corporate social responsi-
bility programme.
“This agency is not receiving
any payment from the National
Football Museum nor any of its
supporters.”