Update on Pocklington Lodge
Dear Neighbour,
We wrote to you on 27th October to update you on the situation at Pocklington Lodge. This is a quick further update sent by me (Cathy).
Andrew, wrote to Charles Colquhoun, the CEO of Thomas Pocklington Trust on 13 November, asking him a very straight forward and simple question – “Have TPT received any offers to buy ( or any other form of transfer) Pocklington Lodge?” If and when Andrew receives a reply we will share that with everyone.
Andrew is going to be contacting directly, those of you who kindly offered to help with reading mail for tenants etc- the service that was provided by Hestia but was stopped suddenly in August – I have also emailed those “volunteers” today, and Andrew at the same time, to help link up volunteers individually with individual tenants.
It is incredibly difficult even with good software designed for people with partial sight, or blindness to deal with all the emails that the tasks involved in trying to have a campaign, entail – which is why some emails come from me, as well as those from Andrew.
We intend to press ahead with the leafleting of Lyric Square and this will be either next week or the week after but I will send a further email tomorrow, once that is decided by the tenants “campaign” group when they meet tomorrow.
We had hoped to start this leafleting next week as November 20th marks the start of Disability History month – but it depends on a number of things as we are trying to co-ordinate at the same time, including the launch of the petition we have posted on the government petition site, plus the video campaign, which we feel is going to have an impact.
Although we have already submitted the petition, we have to wait for the petition site to “check the names” of the proposer and 5 supporters that are needed in order to actually activate a petition on that site.
Carol concert
The tenants at Pocklington Lodge always have a carol concert each year at 8pm on an evening in December. This year they have decided they would like that to be a public affair! So instead of having it in the communal hall or garden of Pocklington Lodge, they have decided to hold it out the front of Pocklington Lodge and at an earlier time, so that might mean neighbours (particularly any with children) may be more inclined or able, to come along and join in.
This would show some practical support for the tenants at Pocklington Lodge who are now facing their second Christmas time of uncertainty over their homes. It is intended therefore that the concert would be from 6.45pm on Wednesday December 10th .
We have not yet finalised details but we hope to have some mince pies and mulled wine and a small gazebo, and once these details are firmer we will post that information on the Pocklington Lodge website and Facebook page (managed by Jessica) and send another email.
