Stepping up fight to save paddock
A Bingham couple backing the campaign to save Warner’s Paddock collected about 180 signatures in just three hours on Saturday.
The total number of signatures now stands at more than 800.
Mr and Mrs Richard Pye, of Church Close, stood outside Bingham Methodist Church from 9.30am to 12.30pm. They have supported the campaign to save the paddock since it was started by Mr Gary Porter in January.
Mr Porter originally took on another petition to save the paddock, started by Mrs Patricia Ellis, of The Banks, Bingham. That petition has more than 500 signatures.
Mr Porter then began an online petition, which has 136 signatures. A further 212 were collected on paper.
Warner’s Paddock is under threat as one of three potential sites for the new Bingham Health Centre, and a public consultation has started as to which is the best.
Mr Pye said: “It is a strange situation. Three sites have been put forward. Two of those are up a hill, which is completely off, and the other, Warner’s Paddock, is an area of beauty that should not built on.”
Mr Porter, of Woodpecker Close, Bingham, said the campaign to save the paddock would be stepped up between now and the end of the consultation for the health centre, on February 6.
Saturday was the first time that anyone had been out in Bingham collecting signatures and there are plans to have supporters in Bingham on Thursdays and Saturdays collecting more.
Mr Porter said he was aiming to get around 1,000 people to sign — about 10% of the town’s population.
He said people were queueing to sign on Saturday.
Mr Porter said the number of people who signed on Saturday was encouraging.
He said: “The plan now is to get more signatures. It is now or never really because come February it will be over one way or the other.”
Anyone wanting to sign can look out for campaigners in the Market Place, email savewarnerspaddock@hotmail.co.uk or sign the petition at
