Important Campaign Update - Art Fund Appeal Appeal Launched

Dear supporter,

The road to saving the Wedgwood Collection has been a long one, as you may be aware over the last 3 years we have been trying to prevent the forced sale and dispersion of the Wedgwood Collection  - we all agree that to do this would be a travesty. The Collection contains 80,000 works of art, ceramics, manuscripts, and letters, pattern books and photographs covering the 250 year history of Wedgwood; it is a unique archive of British politics, society, science and art. The archive represents priceless evidence of one company's contribution to a world of fast paced commercial innovation, scientific discovery, intellectual enlightenment and turbulent social history.

"The Wedgwood Museum’s Collection is a window into the Wedgwood family’s business and private life set within the context of the Industrial Revolution. It is, quite simply, one of the most extraordinary and rare Collections of its type in the UK"

Carole Souter, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund 

The Collection must be saved and must remain in North Staffordshire.

We are delighted to say that good news is here, and we finally have a chance to save the Collection – forever. A steering group, led by the Art Fund with members including the Administrator, Tristram Hunt MP,  Rt. Hon. Ed Vaizey, MP Minister for Culture, Alison Wedgwood, Gaye Blake Roberts, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council have been working behind the scenes for a number of years, and in recent months, after exploring all options the Art Fund have agreed to raise the funds needed to buy the Collection – thereby safeguarding it in perpetuity. The Art Fund is leading the campaign and will buy the Collection and this will then be gifted to the V&A museum. The V&A has the curatorial, legal and business expertise and a remit to the protect the national collection of art and design and so it makes sense for them to own the collection – BUT always with the intention that it remains on display in Staffordshire at the existing Barlaston site. This solution safeguards the Collection in perpetuity and keeps it on display in the local area where it was created and evolved over 250 years.

We need £15.75m to do so, and have already raised over £13m – a major achievement.

However, today marks the beginning of the public appeal to raise the remaining £2.74m needed by 30 November in order to safeguard it.

We therefore are asking any keen supporters to contribute something to ensure we can end the uncertainty and ensure the Collection is saved forever. The good news is any donation by members of the public will be matched by a private trust and so we are optimistic that we can raise the £2.74 million by the deadline.

The Wedgwood family would like to offer their heart felt gratitude for your expressions of support, it has been a tumultuous few years and we feel that finally there is light at the end of the tunnel.  

We have ceded the Save Wedgwood web-site to the Art Fund to run the campaign – therefore if you would like to stay up to date about the campaign, please e-mail members@artfund.org and the Art Fund will add you to their new mailing list.

Please support this incredibly important campaign by donating – either by phone, text, online or by post – and by spreading the word.

The new www.savewedgwood.org website is now the official fundraising platform – please consider going on line today and make a donation, call 0844 415 4100 or Text WEDGWOOD to 70800 and donate £10

Thank you for all your interest and support over the years. We do believe that, together, we can save this remarkable Collection – once and for all.

Very best wishes

Alison and Tom Wedgwood

Decision expected - 19th December

The High Court have informed the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the judgement will be revealed on Monday 19th December. 


Check the news Blog and follow us on Twitter to hear the news.

Haywards Health Ceramics Group

The Chairman of the Haywards Heath Ceramics Group, Mrs Caroline Young, who joined our own supporters roll In the last few months has organised a petition from her members. She recently dispatched this to her Member of Parliament, Hon. Nicholas Soames MP.



Thank you for your support.

What our Supporters Say......

Due to the high profile articles in the Telegraph on Saturday and Monday, the e-mails of support have been pinging through at an unprecedented rate, some of the recent comments received include:

Davide:

I have just read the article regarding the circumstances surrounding the Wedgwood Collection and I am appalled at the extent to which this country has established practices which permit financial institutions to asset strip our established society and heritage.

 Dianne:

Having  just  read  article  about  this  crisis ,  I  am  appalled  at  the  prospect  of  the  destruction  of  a  wonderful, unique  collection  such  as  the  archive  and  irreplaceable  historic  pottery  items  housed  in  the  Museum  at  Wedgwood.  I  am  disgusted  that  the  Government  seem  ready  to  allow  events  to  take  their  course,  too  apathetic  to  act  to  prevent  more   vandalism  against  our  heritage.As  a  member  of  the  public  with  an  interest  in  antique  pottery  and  porcelain, I  have  visited  the  Museum  several  times, each  time  amazed  at  the  wealth  of  material  on  display  and  the  national  importance  of  this  collection  to  our  history. I  hope  that  your  campaign  meets  with  success.  We  have  already  lost  much  of  our  industrial  past  and  need  to  retain  such  treasures  as  evidence  of  what we  once  bequeathed  to  the  world .

Janferie:

It is shocking that the collection could be dispersed. Save it! 

Susan:

A long time admirer of the pottery and also of Josiah who was a national treasure in his own right. It is impossible to break this collection up.  

Caroline:

I feel that the many gifts that people have given to the Museum are inalienable and that the public should continue to be able to view their heritage. 

Sven in Switzerland:

Only in the UK could the most sincere of original intentions turn into a legislative labyrinth at a later date. If this were not a possible tragedy in the making, it would be risible. The Wedgwood Collection is not only a National treasure,it is also an International asset: there is no doubt that were it dismembered, the UK would lose every single piece to private overseas collectors.

Westminster Hall Debate - 19th October

Dr Tristram Hunt MP will be leading a Westminster Hall Debate on the "Future of the Wedgwood Museum" from 1:30 pm on Tuesday 19th October 2010.

>>> Westminster Hall

Supporters: Sir Neil Cossons OBE FSA FMA

A recent addition to our list "Supporters Roll" - Sir Neil Cossons OBE FSA FMA, Pro-Provost and Chairman of the Royal College of Art.

He said:

“If the court case goes against the museum it will not only be catastrophic for one of the finest museums in the country but blow a hole through all our assumptions about the inalienability of collections held by trusts.”