'Council must take the blame' (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

'Council must take the blame'

STEVE Atkins is working to keep Swindon's railway heritage alive but blames the council for the town being left off a map of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's strongest links.

Mr Atkins, who runs the GWR Heritage Trust, which restores locomotives and carriages, said he was not surprised by the news that Swindon was not included on the map produced by tourism organisation Enjoy England.

The omission has sparked outrage from the town's MPs and other leaders who say Swindon is the central point for Brunel's Great Western Railway.

"I think we can blame the council for things like this," said Mr Atkins. "They would rather forget the past, fill the town in with new houses and bulldoze Coate Water, rather than look after the history of the town.

"Swindon was once nothing more than a town of pig farmers, hence the name Swine-town, but it was people like Brunel, Gooch and Armstrong and their railways and steam engines that made the town what it is.

"And I believe it is the council that are throwing this all away."

His GWR Heritage Trust, which currently works out of the 9 Shop in the former Great Western Rail Works, is facing closure in December unless it can find new premises.

The trust originally operated out of the Steam Museum but moved out in 2004.

"It's amazing to think that one of the last little bits of this town's working industrial heritage will probably disappear just a few weeks before the 200th anniversary of Brunel's birthday next year," he said.

"The council have no appreciation of what the people of this town produced over those years,"

Swindon Council's lead member for culture leisure and recreation, Justin Tomlinson (Con, Abbey Meads) disagreed with Mr Atkins' comments.

He said: "With wonderful council-run facilities such as Lydiard Park, the Steam Museum and a widely-regarded modernart collection I would totally disagree with Mr Atkins, we have much to be proud of."

Anthony Osborne