John west

With a passion for our countryside, buildings and our heritage I am at present a member of 10 conservation organisations which are concerned with different areas of our heritage.

The Cinema Theatre Association
The Frank Matcham Society
The Friends of the Doncaster Grand Theatre
The Friends of the Plaza Theatre, Stockport
The Inland Waterways Association
The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Society
The Peak Railway Association
The Projected Picture Trust
The Wensleydale Railway Association
The Woodland Trust

The richness of our heritage is what makes Britain interesting and helps bring us tourists from around the world, as can be seen in the amount of people who visit our restored railways, historical houses or use the canals either for a day trip, a holiday or even live on the canals of Britain.

Many fine projects are in progress at present, but none of this would be taking place without the dedication and foresight of such organisations as above. By being a member I am able to support them in a number of different ways, from financial donations to donating time and my skills. Thus preserving part of our heritage for future generations to see and enjoy.

Such projects include the preservation of both the "Grand Theatre" in Blackpool and "The Theatre Royal" in Norwich which were both planned to be demolished to make way for a department store group. Both theatres are successfully providing entertainment to the public while the department store is no longer trading in the UK.

Another project is the Inland Waterways who's association has successfully lobbied for the restoration of the canal network, with not only governmental and lottery funding, but members working on particular projects where they have dug out, relined and cleared disused or derelict parts of the canals thus restoring them for public use. As many will have seen we even now have a TV series called "Waterworld" about the canals, how they have been restored and what you might expect to see on the canals of Britain.

I strive to ensure the preservation of the best of the surviving heritage. But unfortunately tomorrow's heritage is today's unwanted "dinosaurs".

There are many things that you can do to help preserve Britain. But the easiest could be get involved in a local organisation or something you have special interest in. Many of these organisations have members who live outside the United Kingdom, who want to be involved because it is world history and books cannot portray the atmosphere that the woodland, building, canal or railway gives when you visit them.