Clock Tower Save the

A local organisation is hoping to save one of the region’s many historical buildings and resurrect it to its former glory.

THE ENBARR FOUNDATION, A NONprofit organisation, has initiated an ambitious project to restore John Summers Clock Tower in Sealand, Deeside in Flintshire. It is one of a number of local landmarks from our industrial past that are gradually falling into disrepair.

Since 1907, the Grade II-listed John Summers Clock Tower housed the general office for Shotton Steelworks. After the building was sold by Tata Steel in 2009, it was vandalised and has seriously deteriorated in the decade since. The project, which has received lottery funding, has been supported by an army of volunteers. By restoring it to its former glory and developing it into a community space, the project will secure the building’s long-term existence – so it is here for future generations to use and enjoy.

A strong foundation

Working in collaboration with a number of local businesses and organisations, The Enbarr Foundation has gained considerable recognition for its work, including a Daily Post Business Award in 2018, and many nominations and wins. The project has also been featured on BBC News.

The project’s foundation is a coalition of volunteers, social organisations, businesses, academia and members of the public, which is working together to transform the area. It is bringing local people, businesses and community organisations together to plan, develop and build the future of the local community around the John Summers site – whilst harnessing local ‘people power’ and assets within the community.

Those involved will find out about their region’s heritage, as well as strengthening their key skills and supporting their wellbeing. All of these elements are important to communities and the people who live in them. In the spirit of the famous 1980s film Back to the Future – which features a clock tower so prominently in the electrifying climax, when lightning strikes Hill Valley’s clock tower – the Enbarr Foundation is calling on volunteers to ‘Save the Clock Tower’.

Vicki Roskams, engagement manager at Enbarr Foundation explains:

“Working together on this project will help to alleviate many social issues in the community and provide a focussed communal project developed by the community for the local region.

“When it’s completed, the hub will be a space of safety, collaboration and support. It will also inspire young people in the local community to be innovative and confident, to turn their own ideas into projects and to inspire career pathways, via the project’s heritage skills centre at the site. It will serve as a place where local people can celebrate their history and especially their place in the region’s heritage and share their experiences with future generations to leave a legacy of a thriving and cohesive Welsh Culture –before time runs out for this wonderful monument.”

For more information on the project and ways you can help you can email engagement@enbarrenterprises.com, visit the website www.enbarrfoundation.co.uk or call on 01244 560644