Thieves wreck park memorial

Feb 20 2006 By Tony Deeley, Birmingham Mail

AN HISTORIC bust and its bronze plaque have been stolen from a park just days before a VIP visit.

The priceless items, dating from 1875, were stolen from a memorial at West Smethwick Park which honours the Chance family, who were internationaly-known glass manufacturers in the area.

The theft was discovered just days before Toby Chance was due to travel from South Africa to see the park, which his great-grandfather James Chance gave to the people of Smethwick.

Sandwell Council officers and members of the park's Friends group were today in a race against time to recover the stolen plaque and urged the community to be on the look-out.

Mr Chance was expected to visit the park this week accompanied by a South African film crew. The crew is making a documentary on the Chance Glass Company, which produced glass for lighthouses across the world.

Sandwell Council's cabinet member for culture and leisure, Coun Linda Horton, said: "The visit has been organised for a long time and the plaque is believed to have been taken in the last few days.

"The timing of this is absolutely unbelievable and extremely unfortunate. We have made exhaustive inquiries to try and replace the plaque, but have been told a bronze of this significance cannot be replaced overnight and may take months to remake.

"We are exploring every eventuality to try and track down this special plaque and would appeal to anyone with information to come forward and contact us."

Coun Horton also appealed to those responsible to "find it in their hearts" to return the plaque which, she said, had huge sentimental and historical value.

"We are particularly keen to alert scrap metal traders and to urge them to contact the police or our rangers if they are offered the plaque."

Mr Chance is believed to be visiting Smethwick for a few days during which he will also be given a tour of the Smethwick Heritage Centre.

The visit has been largely organised by the Friends of West Smethwick Park. Chairman Graham Price said "I am appalled at the mean-spiritedness of the people who have taken such an historical artefact away.

"Mr Chance is extremely keen to look at the legacy that his family bestowed on Smethwick."

* Anyone with information is urged to contact the park's urban rangers on 0121 552 4214 or police on 0845 113 5000.

* Have your say on this story at www.icbirmingham.co.uk/mail/news/yoursay