Letter to La Farge

Wolsingham Cheese Club,
Mergers and Acquisitions Department,
The Mill Race,
8, West End,
Wolsingham,
County Durham DL13 3AP.
U.K.

Michel Rose,
Chief Operating Officer,
Lafarge Group H.Q.,
61, Rue des Belles Feuilles,
BP 40 – 75782 Paris Cedex 16,
France.


Sunday, 27 February 2005


Dear Mr Rose,

I am writing on behalf of the Wolsingham Cheese Club (WCC) to formally express our interest in the purchase of the Chimney at the former Blue Circle cement works at Eastgate, County Durham, UK. The WCC is a small but committed group of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, brought together by a mutual interest in cheese and other related fermented-curd comestibles.

The board of the WCC believes that the Chimney in Eastgate could be the key to the regeneration of the Dale. It also believes that redevelopment of the Chimney would enhance the prosperity of the region as a whole.

Our proposal is principally based on three main uses for the structure:

Airship Landing Stage
Dirigibles are an efficient and cheap form of air transport, ideally suited for the shipment of light goods and for leisurely sightseeing voyages. The Chimney would be fitted with an internal goods lift and an external passenger lift, allowing cargo and passengers to alight from their blimp, enjoy the stunning view and then descend to a transport interchange with road and rail connections. Eastgate could become the key entry point into the UK for light goods such as polystyrene balls, bubble wrap, tea bag liners, feathers or uncompressed gas. An artist’s impression is available for inspection.

Super Gnomon
To complement the proposed Eco Village at Eastgate, it is anticipated that the flue will act as the centre of an enormous sundial. Its shadow will pass over various points of the hillside allowing the eco Village People to do without clocks – a welcome energy saving. The board of the WCC is amazed that other large erections have not been put to similar use and feels blazing a trail in this way will attract much needed media attention to the Dale. An arsonist’s impression is available for inspection.


Tourist Attraction
The WCC has been approached by several bodies wishing to invest in the Chimney as a leisure facility and tourist attraction. Ideas currently under discussion include a revolving speciality cheese restaurant at the top of the chimney and a vertical wind tunnel. One company, Brown Trouser Entertainment, has mooted the inclusion of popular fair ground ride - Blackout Ball Breaker, in which kids would be dropped down the chimney into a ball pool. As a well established landmark, the flue would be easy to find and would draw in more hippies to the Eco Village. An inspector’s artwork is available for impressions.


WCC would like to propose a nominal consideration of £1 (one pound sterling) to secure full and final purchase of the chimney. This amount will be placed in Escrow by WCC for a period of 90 days in anticipation of completion. Completion and subsequent draw-down of funds by Lafarge will be subject to due-diligence by the WCC including comfort on the award of all planning related applications to Wear Valley District Council, WVDC. Given WVDC’s track record for innovation and imagination, we feel confident of support from the public sector. We see that Lafarge would benefit from its association with this ground-breaking scheme.

I the undersigned, and in anticipation of a swift and favourable reply, remain your humble and obedient servant.


Ed Leicester
Under Truckle, for and on behalf of the Wolsingham Cheese Club