Monumental Gala

So here we are, after 12 months of work on the restoration of our beloved hoad monument here we are at the grand opening event. At Ford Park we have been planning our complementary gala event. We've been glued to the weather forecasts for days as we prepare last minute tweaking to our schedule.
This morning at 8.30 I met with Megan from radio Cumbria in the car park at Ford Park for a live interview to preview this Sundays event. It was raining and she was having difficulty getting a radio link back to the station. The one place where she could get a signal was in the most exposed bit of weather. And just before we went live the rain decided to thicken, stair rods rained down on us as we huddled beneath the radio cumbria umbrella. By the time it was all over My trousers were saturated, but hey, it's good to get the message out there.
Perhaps it's going to get all this weather out of the way for the opening on Sunday. We've got the 7th Baronet of Ulverston coming to cut the ribbon, and then all the V.I.P.s will be coming to Ford Park for a reception and speeches.
It will be a chance for Ford Park to show itself off to all the towns dignitaries, and our volunteers have been scurrying around all week to get her ship shape and bristol fashion. Lets hope that they appreciate the hard work that has gone on here over the last ten years, and perhaps finally recognise that this is a valuable asset that should not be left to volunteers. The proximity to the newly restored Sir John Barrow monument surely make Ford Park the gateway to our premier tourist attraction.
So here's looking for a bright and sunny day, a day for the town to celebrate, a day devoid of heavy showers that tonight ,Friday, is forecast, and that our Gala, the Grand re-opening, the Hoad down and finally the fireworks' will make Sunday 22nd of August 2010 a day to remember for all of us. A day when Sir John Barrow is remembered as one of Ulverstons' shining lights, a day when the light once again will shine from the Hoad monument, and that pepperpot will once more be a symbol of our town, the gateway to Furness welcoming it's wayward sons and daughters home.