I agree with Ann Hine (letters, January 29) and the contents of the letter she sent to Fenland MP Steve Barclay about the United Nations recent Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
MPs voted in 2016 in favour of building submarines for a new nuclear weapons system to replace the current one, Trident. But all the facts stack up against nuclear weapons – and they continue to do so, irrespective of this shameful vote.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has calculated that replacing Trident will end up costing at least £205 billion. This is an appalling waste of money.
Cancelling Trident replacement would mean we could invest billions in the NHS, our education system or new homes.
| Updated: 09:43, 28 January 2021
Historic England has awarded a grant of £616,000 for urgent repairs to the Grade II listed Wisbech and Fenland Museum.
Dating from 1846-7, the museum was one of the first purpose-built museums in the country, making it of exceptional significance and was put on Historic England s at Risk Register in 2018.
Major problems with the roof and drainage, including cracked and slipping tiles and leaks, are damaging the historic interior of the museum.
Wisbech museum has been awarded £616,000 for urgent repairs to its historic building. Picture: Patricia Payne/Historic England. (44160006)
Historic England has previously grant funded a project development phase for the museum to enable a structural survey, temporary roof repairs to protect the building over winter and a specification for long-term repair work.
In the programme award-winning poet and author Benjamin said: “I ve been to museums in Cairo, Shanghai, Paris and London but there is absolutely nothing like the museum in Wisbech.”
He described it as the kind of museum he likes best – small, cosy, peculiar, and obsessed with local history, about local characters and local things yet speaking to bigger global issues.
Standing next to the bust of Thomas Clarkson in pride of place, he says: “This guy is a local hero here in Wisbech.”
The museum holds a substantial archive of parish registers, local government records, photographs and maps.
Its library comprises 12,000 volumes in two distinct collections.
Wisbech students develop exhibition at town museum for Silver Arts Award
| Updated: 13:24, 31 December 2020
Two Thomas Clarkson Academy students have been volunteering at Wisbech and Fenland Museum to work towards their Silver Arts Award.
Sixth Former Max Hamilton and Emily Reach, in Year 11, have helped to develop a âPacific Currentsâ exhibition as part of the Level 2 qualification.
The Arts Award, which requires a commitment of 95 hours, is designed to support young people to grow as artists and arts leaders, inspiring them to take part in the wider arts world through taking challenges in an art form. To achieve silver, participants must gain experiences in arts practice, including planning an arts challenge, and arts leadership.