MEMBERS of a historic gliding club are ‘shocked and frustrated’ after being given three months’ notice to leave Walney Airfield.
Lakes Gliding Club will no longer be permitted to use Walney Airfield following a review undertaken by BAE Systems.
BAE – who own and operate the airfield – have said they can no longer accommodate the club on the site.
A BAE Systems spokesman said: “After undertaking a detailed review we have regrettably notified the Lakes Gliding Club that we can no longer accommodate them at Walney Airfield. We will work with the club and its members over the coming months and support them as they depart the airfield.”
Lakes Gliding Club was set up in the 1930s and has operated from Walney Airfield since 1961. The father of Barrow Shipyard manager, Sir Leonard Redshaw, was a founder trustee of the club which was formerly known as Furness Gliding Propriety Ltd.
His brother, son, daughter and son-in-law all became keen gliding enthusiasts.
Sir Leonard was chairman of the club for many years and acted as CO of 188 Gliding School teaching pre-entry RAF cadets. He had gained a local reputation as the only man in Cumbria to have a glider and be able to catapult off the local fells with his family’s assistance. He remained with gliding up to 1982.
A committee member and instructor of Lakes Gliding Club spoke out about the BAE’s decision to evict the club from the airfield.
The committee member, who has asked to remain anonymous, has been part of the club since 1990.
He said the decision has been motivated by ‘incorrect information’ regarding two gliding accidents which happened last year.
“With a stroke of a pen, they have shut us down,” he said.
“We received a letter from BAE to say this was our three months’ notice and they were cancelling their agreement with the club.
“In the letter it said a review of their operational and security had been undertaken and they can no longer accommodate us on the airfield.
“We’ve been told that the two incidents last year were ‘serious and dangerous’ which has led to this decision, but the incidents being ‘serious and dangerous’ is news to us. They weren’t ‘serious or dangerous’.
“At no point since we had the original accident last September has anyone been here to talk with us. They have had so-called enquiries, but no-one has been there to represent the club. We can’t fight them, they’re a massive company.
“We feel like we’ve been accused of a crime and sentenced without a trial. It’s very frustrating.
“We did have an agreement with them which said if they want to, they can give us three months’ notice at any time, but we feel like they’ve made their decision based on incorrect information.”
Tens of thousands of pounds has been spent on equipment and gliders used at the club, which members will likely have to sell.
“It’s a massive blow to our members,” a gliding instructor said.
“It’s a big part of our lives. We’re having to sell all the club equipment as we can’t relocate. There’s no other gliding club in Cumbria at all.
“We’ve invested more than £45,000 into the hangers and don’t know what will happen to them.
“This is a 90-year-old gliding club and they’ve shut us down just like that. I was there virtually every weekend. Members are going to have to sell their gliders and give up the sport, there’s nowhere else in the county we can do it.
“It’s a real shame BAE have made this decision based on incorrect information. As a club we’re going to send a letter to BAE to say how disappointed we are by the decision. We aren’t a trouble to them. It’s so upsetting.”
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