John

I have just seen the two emails that you have sent out recently, Unfortunately I have been up to my neck in other things as I am acting as the Election Agent for Nigel Waterson the Shadow Pensions and Older Persons Minister.

I just can't believe that the Crown Estates are thinking of selling off the Estates.

Obviously it is the Cumberland Market Estate that I am interested in being the one on which I and many other of our generation grew up on. It is the place that all of us 'Kids' have many very fond memories of, especially with me trying to get round the fact that Dad was the Head Caretaker for so many years.

I have not seen the place since that 3rd get together and am certain that it has changd beyond all our recognitions, however it is somewhere that all of us, no matter how long ago we were there, were fond of.

I can well remember your Mum, Aida, chasing me out of the place on several occasions, and I know that not only my Dad, but the likes of Mrs. Hearn, Mrs. Sears and the woman who was responsible for setting the place up, Octvia Hill would turn in their graves at the thought of it being sold.

I can not promise anything, as I am sure that you will understand, but I do have some contacts and would be happy to see what I can do to try and stop the sell off, on the proviso that that is what the 'Kids' want.

Please do feel free to circulate my message and my email address to any all of the 'Kids' and if any of them want to contact me to add their voice to my attempts then do tell them to feel free to contact me.

All the best

Gordon

Cllr. Gordon Jenkins

John

Attached is a letter I have just sent to George Lee, the Conservative Candidate for the Holborn & St. Pancras Constituency which covers the Crown Estate in Cumberland Market.

Again, please feel free to copy to all the 'Kids'.

If George can arrange a date on which I am able to get up to the Estate during the Election Campaign it would be nice to see as many of the 'Kids' out to help. Yes I am looking to the Conservatives amongst us, but at the end of the day I am sure that many of the 'Kids' politics aside, would be happy to do their bit.

Gordon

Cllr. Gordon Jenkins

George

You probably don't remember me but I was the Deputy Chairman Political for the London South Area when you were interviewed at Lewisham West.

I have just been made aware of the proposed sell off of the entire Crown Estate properties in the London Area. My personal interest is in the Cumberland Estate which I am sure falls within your Holborn & St. Pancras Constituency.

I grew up on the Cumberland Market Estate, my father was the Head Caretaker there for many years and as such I have a personal interest in keeping the Estate in the hands of the Commissioners of Crown Lands.

I am sure that you will have done your background check on the Estate, and that you will have found that the person behind the Estates was one Octavia Hill, one of the first pioneers of affordable housing.

I can well remember back in the late 50's and early 60's, when my father was the Head Caretaker and my mother used to clean the offices of the Estate management seeing the photo of Octavia above the desk of the Estate Manager, one Mrs. Margaret Hearn.

The Crown Estate at Cumberland Market was surrounded on all sides by Council Estates and those of us that grew up there were constantly being bombarded by the Council Estate kids as being different and above them. We were no different, we were all working class in those days, but the only difference was that the Crown used to look after their residents, perhaps in some way similar to the Peabody Trust.

Can I ask you please to do all that you possibly can either personally or during your election campaign to highlight the lack of insight that the current Commissioners of Crown Lands seem to have for the past history of the Estate, and to put pressure on them to ensure that the Estate remains in the hands of the Crown in perpetuity.

I would be more than happy to come up one Saturday during the campaign, provided I can get a day off from working for Nigel Waterson, to campaign on the Estate for you.

Kindest

Gordon