ROMANY`S CARAVAN TO LEAVE WILMSLOW?

Former hostage Terry Waite CBE has joined the campaign to secure the return of the town`s smallest tourist attraction.

Romany`s caravan, which has lived in Wilmslow for more than 70 years, was in need of urgent restoration and following an appeal to members of the Romany Society, which Terry Waite is patron of, it was removed from South Drive in December 2011.

The caravan, which is owned by Cheshire East Council, is currently in North Wales where it has been restored by Valley Stream, who are experts in the field.

The restoration of the vardo (to give it its gypsy name) is now complete and is due to be inspected by an officer from Cheshire East Council and committee representatives from the Romany Society this week, prior to its collection.

However, its future destination is yet to be agreed and one committee member told wilmslow.co.uk that “far distant Bradford is looking a possibility”.

Terry Waite wrote to Cheshire East Council this week saying “It is with some degree of alarm that I hear today that the East Cheshire Borough Council no longer wishes to act as custodian of the Romany Vardo.

“As you will no doubt be aware, Romany was the first BBC Naturalist and one of the most distinguished residents of Wilmslow. Without a doubt, he is a part of Wilmslow`s heritage. As I understand it, it was the express wish of Mrs Bramwell Evens that the Vardo be kept in Wilmslow and that she had confidence in the local authority of the day to properly care for it so that it could be an attraction to visitors and also a memorial to her husband.

“If it is correct that the Council no longer wishes to meet this moral obligation, then I think it is a sad day for Wilmslow. With imagination, the Vardo could become a centre point of a feature which introduces a new generation to the wonder of nature as well as honouring a distinguished resident of the town. I sincerely hope that I have been misinformed and that the Vardo will remain in Wilmslow, which has been its real home for so many years.”

The caravan belonged to Reverend George Bramwell Evens, who was a famous wild life broadcaster and author of many popular books on English wildlife. He used to write in the caravan and it features in many of his books.

In the later years of his life Reverend Evens lived in Wilmslow and when he died in 1943 his widow Eunice brought their caravan to the town. In 1950 it was placed in the newly created Romany Memorial Garden in South Drive.

Whilst the Romany Society managed to raise nearly