Did someone nick a plaque?

Mark 33 Comments

2016-09-11-11-29-01

This morning I blogged about this plaque on this building in the North York Moors National Park. The building is a shooting hut or lodge and the plaque is one of those that indicates funding from the Lottery – in this case through Sport England.

I’m grateful to the media team in Sport England for clearing up the fact that Sport England has not, repeat not, funded this shooting hut with either exchequer or National Lottery funds (which is why I couldn’t find any trace of it in the records on their website).

Sport England stress that they did not install this plaque on the building.

So that’s all cleared up then. Public funds do not seem to have been spent on this private shooting facility.  Good.

So that just leaves the question of why the plaque is there. If Sport England didn’t put it there then how did it get there?  These things don’t just fall out of the sky and attach themselves to buildings, you know.

I’d love to know where the plaque came from, how it came  and who thought it would be a great idea to stick it on this building. The workings of the human mind interest me a lot.

 

 

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33 Replies to “Did someone nick a plaque?”

  3. Maybe someone has a ‘mate’ who works for the company that makes them and thought said plaque would give credit to said wildlife killers.

    Alternatively has anyone checked the locality for missing plaques where there is approved funding?

  7. Why not enquire at National Lottery Promotions Unit their website states:-
    The National Lottery Promotions Unit (NLPU) is responsible for raising awareness of Lottery funding to Good Causes. Amongst other initiatives, NLPU manages the National Lottery Awards.
    I would have thought they could answer what’s going on!!

    [email protected]

    Cheers Clive

    1. Clive – I spoke to the Lottery a few days ago: they were very clear that I should talk to Sport England, which does, indeed, seem to be the right course.

  8. So presumably the next step is for Sport England to ask that nice Mr David Ross about why his building is wearing one of their plaques? After all, there are only a few possibilities:

    1) Sport England are telling porkies and did indeed fund the building. (Unlikely.)
    2) Mr Ross acquired one of their plaques and put it on himself. (Less unlikely.)
    3) Somebody else acquired one of their plaques and couldn’t find anything better to do with it. (More unlikely).
    4) Somebody, somewhere is missing a plaque. (Highly likely.)

    I think we should be told…

    1. If they are using a sign that’s been half- inched, that would increase the reputation of DGS no end

  9. Just looked at National Lottery Sports Award site which states:-
    From building new sports venues, to inspiring future generations to participate in sport, lottery funding is helping to grow grassroots sport across the UK with new facilities and coaching that are helping communities to stay healthy, fit and active.

    There’s probably an intellectual property right issue over the use of this sign and as such I am sure that they would want it removing

    Clive

    1. “Use of the Sport England name and logo (registered trademarks of the English Sports Council) is strictly prohibited subject to Sport England’s express written consent.”

      There’s also the common law tort of passing off.

      1. If what you say is right and also SE are being truthful and they neither funded it nor gave permission for the use of the sign, I’d have thought they really ought to be getting quite cross about it and want to look into it for their own benefit, not leave it to Mark, otherwise any half-baked scheme could stick up a plaque on its building

        1. Jon – they did thank me for drawing this to their attention. How long do you think the plaque will be there?

    2. What are the chances that it will mysteriously disappear over the next few days? I hope you’ve hidden the trail camera well?

  10. Hi Mark
    I think that The National Lottery are evading your questions
    On their website they detail many awards including several to the Davod Ross Educational Trust
    They also appear to be instrumental in setting up the award panel
    It looks like they are avoiding difficult questions to me
    Perhaps a freedom of information request might awaken them
    After all it’s their logo which is trademarked that’s on that building
    Sorry to go on, but there’s something not right here
    Cheers
    Clive

    1. Clive – I doubt it myself. We know where the David Ross Education Trust money went – see earlier blog.

  12. I would have thought theft was a less heinous crime than illegal shooting, trapping or poisoning. As they are happy to do the latter, perhaps they aren’t above doing the former.

    1. Simon – I’m not sure who ‘they’ are, but I’m sure you weren’t referring to anyone in particular (or they might sue you).

  13. Has anyone done any research into whether Hen Harriers dislike the colour blue?
    Perhaps this is a new way of frightening them away from entering the upland killing fields.

  14. Hi Mark

    Just a thought

    It would appear that the plaque requires planning permission due to the fact that the building is in the National Park

    The plaque isn’t mentioned on the planning application

    An enquiry with the authority might cause someone an issue, whether that’s The National Lottery The Sports Council of the buildings owner

    Cheers Clive

  15. Perhaps plaques should now be satellite tagged.

    On a slightly more serious note I have some sympathy with Clive’s train of thought, by which I mean that I doubt that the appearance of the plaque is 100% fraudulent. But I’m not betting on it.

  16. The plaque seems to have been located on the wall very well. Somebody has gone to the trouble of spacing it evenly and marking the hole positions out, drilling the wall which would have made a bit of a racket, knocking in rawlplugs, removing the masonry drill and replacing it with a screwdriver bit and then fastening it with screws. Wouldn’t somebody have noticed if it shouldn’t have been there and taken it down?

    I would have expected that somebody playing a practical joke may have screwed it to the wooden doors or used no nails so that they could get away quicker than the method used would have allowed.

  17. Let’s be generous shall we. Maybe David Ross has an odd-job man (or woman) who has been asked to put those plaques on all his buildings that are used for sports, and he/she didn’t know that it doesn’t apply to certain ones. I’m not of the class of person to know anyone who goes grouse shooting but I can’t imagine that people who do would particularly want to be associated with receiving the benefits of charity. After all isn’t the whole point of being able to be among the grouse shooting fraternity intended to show that you are superior to the average Joe?

    1. Eileen – I was wondering whether to deliver one muyself, and if I did that then I might as well use it.

  19. Very interesting – of course it wouldn’t take much to have these plaques copied, which would get National Lottery really upset if that were the case, knowing how they protect their logo and trademarks so religiously.

    I reported a hovel of a B&B in Wales to the AA three years ago, as the establishment had an AA Rating badge on the front door, it was not on the AA’s website for any Star rating, they thanked me for bringing it to their attention and sent a representative the next day to have them remove it. No doubt, due to Mark’s blog about this plaque the National Lottery / Sport England will be doing the same very soon?

    A great bit of awareness -well done Mark

  20. It was a mix up. They actually won a reward from Unsporting England after being nominated by Unnatural England!

  22. Anyone checked who is selling it? Might be some guy called David Ross who has found that he has no use for it now!

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