THE possible winter closure of the Castle Heritage Centre in Bude prompted many residents to attend Bude-Stratton Town Council's meeting in the Parkhouse Centre last Thursday.

The seasonal closure proposal, which is being discussed by the council, would see the facility shut from this November to next Easter.

Following a letter published in the Post on June 25 by Mr Christopher Jewell, about the potential closure, some residents decided they needed to take action and did so via a petition that was presented to the town council — 150 people had signed it since last week.

In response to the petition, town mayor Cllr Lea Deely stressed that the decision had not been made to definitely close the heritage centre in November, but that the situation would be reviewed then, with the possibility of closure during the winter months. She said there were approximately 10,000 people in Bude and when making decisions, the council had to think of everyone.

Mr Jewell's main concerns in his letter, points of which he had expressed to the council at a meeting in early June, centred on the fact that the heritage centre is a public amenity. He said the town council should do all it could to ensure it stays that way following its decision in 2014 to allow free entry to the centre as well as provide a café and shop.

He added: "When funding was being sought to convert the castle from offices to an amenity, the funders were assured that the heritage centre would be open for 12 months rather than the six months of the former museum, which was located beside the canal."

He said that argument was put to the Heritage Lottery Fund and other funders such as the Blanchminster Trust, both Both of which gave substantial awards and one wondered what they would make of the decision.

The 30 residents from Bude and surrounding areas at the meeting, all took the same view as Mr Jewell. They said they wanted to show the town council en masse that there were many people who wanted the heritage centre to stay open all year round and demanded to know why the decision to potentially close it was made in the first place.

Spokesperson for the group of residents Sue Read said: "The castle is the most iconic building in Bude. It is a historical and cultural centre for the area and a gathering point for the community.

"You [Bude-Stratton town council] have invested a huge amount of money in the conservatory. What is the rationale behind the decision to close the whole building for the winter months? Surely the council should be looking to promote the castle rather than closing it down?"

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.