With my siblings I have just donated a stack of storybooks by John Ryan to Rye Library’s children’s section. This collection includes 21 Captain Pugwash titles, plus Pugwash’s medieval ancestor Admiral Fatso FitzPugwash, discovered to be living in Winkle (a town very near Rye). Also in the pile are some of John Ryan’s lesser known books – retellings of popular Bible stories – plus sagas of smuggling, a tale of the advantages of pacifism, and the adventures of a very small and shy Tigerpig. This colourful collection spans five decades of John Ryan’s creative output and – according to Rye Library’s staff – the total of 27 donated books is a welcome addition.
The dedicated children’s library room is a lovely place, beautifully decorated, full of reading nooks and displays of attractive books. Low-level tables and chairs, colour pencils, paper and computers generate a very child-friendly atmosphere and the staff are wonderfully knowledgeable and generous with their time.
Image Credits: Nick MacRae , Isabel Ryan .
Dearest Isabel, A big thank you and your siblings for the very generous donation. Your parents made a Real change for all young readers including my sons and grandchildren. I remember vividly reading and enjoying them. Thank you!
Marie
Marie Hanley
A lovely thing to do Isabel and family. I love the drawings in all these books. They are very special.
Hi Isabel, thanks for donating your father’s books to the library, where I’m sure they’ll be much appreciated. I was just wondering whether you could give an update on the progress of the Captain Pugwash statue earmarked for the Gun Garden site? Has the funding for the statue been raised yet, and if so, when can the statue be expected? Has planning permission been granted or is this holding up the project? I’m sure people in Rye would like to know about where things stand on the statue right now. Thank you.
In answer to Susan’s question, here is an update on procedure and current status:
1) Last year Rye Town Council supported the proposal to have a bronze sculpture in the Gungarden, Rye, of Captain Pugwash. This was on the understanding that no funding would come from them but that they broadly in favour of the proposal.
2) As Rother District Council own the land ie. the Gungarden, an Initial proposal was made to Rother’s Estates Dept. Preliminary photos and basic plans were submitted of the proposed site and surrounding structures, site measurements, site outlooks, materials to be used etc. with photos of the statue maquette. The submission was compiled by the Pugwash Statue Committee comprising the sculptor, our site-specifically experienced surveyor, fund-raising leaders and the Ryan Family.
3) Rother District Council Estates referred it to their Planning Department.
4) Planning responded with a list of ‘hurdles’ to be jumped – – namely:
4a) they require a Heritage Statement – ‘impact on significance’ which explains the justification of the statue’s setting on the site as a whole, and its relevance, and states any impact on the adjacent scheduled monument of Ypres Tower.
4b) they require much more detailed plans and elevations ie, drawn up from 3D photos, with more accurate measurements of site and more finalised maquette required of bronze statue of Captain Pugwash lighting a cannon mounted on a gun carriage, all on a raised stone-faced plinth visually in keeping with local materials.
Stages 4a and 4b are currently well on in progress.
5) As the land is owned by Rother, Planning officers will pass the submission to Planning Committee to be decided upon.
6) If it is successful, Estates Dept have to agree with Planning Dept before issuing a ‘yes, go ahead’.
7) Almost all of the work so far from initial sculpture maquette, costings, meetings, and the initial submission has been done on a voluntary basis by the Pugwash Statue Committee with some initial contributions from the Ryan Family. Fund-raising is now in its initial stages, to pay for steps 4a-4b and onward.