AN 800-strong petition, numerous letters and a conference room full of concerned members of the public have been successful in their campaign to keep The Castle at Bude open during winter months.

Residents turned out in force again at the council meeting last Thursday, to present the town council with a document outlining their views, along with 38 pages worth of signatures and comments, all against the possible winter closure of the Castle Heritage Centre.

The extraordinary meeting was called after many residents at a town council meeting on July 2, voiced concerns about the possible seasonal closure of the centre from November to next Easter.

Dan Allen commented on the petition: 'I use The Castle and see it as a very important part of the town, serving the local community throughout the year and not just tourists during the summer months. It plays host to many community events throughout the year and with some extra effort could become a much busier community hub.'

Another contributor to the online petition, Sue Cox, said: 'We should make the most of all the facilities we have to offer here in Bude, all the year round. It's a great place in the winter as well as the summer.'

A spokesperson for the group addressed the councillors by reading the front page of the document — it explained that the public wanted to see copies of the business case for the Castle's Conservatory, including what benefits were expected, and how the council was to realise those benefits.

The spokesperson said the request had been made for two reasons: the first, 'numerous members of the public had made comments over the concerns as to the cost and reason as to why the conservatory was necessary and built, given the council's decision to now close it', and the second, 'a great number of the public just wish the Castle to stay open due to its iconic position within the community'.

Town mayor Cllr Lea Deely reminded the public, as she had in the previous meeting, that the decision to definitely close the Castle in November was never made, but a review as to the possible closure would take place.

Given the emotive nature of the situation, the council voted to extend the 15 minutes allocated to allow for any of the 50-plus members of the pubic present to have their say.

Many were concerned by the effect the possible closure would have on the Bude community,

on an individual, educational and business basis.

Anne Longley, the Castle's archive volunteer co-ordinator, said that all the seven volunteers cost the council nothing, working as 'a service to the community' and added: "In recent years we have mounted a themed exhibition in the gallery during the winter months to show some of the items we have in the collection. This has been very well received by the public and increasingly well attended."

She presented the council with a petition she had collected at the Castle, signed by approximately 270 people who had visited over the past two weeks.

Another member of the public asked if the council had thought about the effect a closure would have on businesses in Bude such as B&Bs.

"We need things like The Castle to be open in the winter as something for visitors to do in those months when the weather is poor. Bude is not just a summer town."

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