Campaigners' concern over new glass-making hub
BBCCampaigners fighting to save the National Glass Centre from closure say the announcement of a new "glass-making hub" is bittersweet.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced £5m funding for the Glassworks project on Wearside as part of a £60m package of support for creative industries across the UK.
The new site, to be run by arts organisation Sunderland Culture, will be based in Sunniside with the aim of preserving 1,350 years of glass-making history.
Jo Howell, who has been leading the campaign to prevent the closure of the current centre, said "any investment is good news" but worried the new facilities would not match the old ones.
Sunderland University, which owns the Glass Centre, announced it would scrap its glass and ceramics courses and close the centre in 2026.
It said it did not have the £45m needed for significant repairs to the glass and steel riverside building.
Ms Howell believes the city risks losing a significant part of its heritage if the centre is moved to a smaller site.
"It's like a sticking plaster over an open wound," she said.
"It's great to get £5m but over £36m of public money has been spent on the Glass Centre over its history.
"It just feels like we've been robbed."
University vice chancellor Sir David Bell said the new project represented "a brand new opportunity" for glass-making in the city.
"It will link the city's heritage with its creative future, driving growth and productivity, and supporting cultural regeneration," he said.
Sunderland Culture chief executive Nick Maylan said Glassworks would be "part of a broader programme of regeneration" in the Sunniside area.
"We know that the National Glass Centre isn't financially stable and the building is not fit for purpose anymore, for us it's about safeguarding the craft, the skills and the art form," he said.
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