Day 075 - 17 Jan 95 - Page 10
1 A. The Queen Mother is the patron of the Tidy Britain
2 Group and on the occasion of her 80th birthday agreed to
3 the establishment of a series of awards. Those awards are
4 given to individuals, organisations, private companies and
5 youth groups and within the company category, well, indeed,
6 within all of the categories, these awards are made to
7 people who have assisted the group in its aims and
8 objectives usually over a substantial period of time.
9 Co-operation with us for just one year would not be
10 sufficient to qualify somebody to be considered for such an
11 award.
12
13 Q. Who actually makes the award?
14 A. The award is made by the Tidy Britain Group. Within
15 the group we have regional offices and the regional
16 directors of the Tidy Britain Group nominate individuals or
17 companies. That then comes to a small selection committee
18 (of which I am chairman) and I suppose in that sense, in
19 the final analysis, as I have a casting vote if it is
20 necessary, it comes down do me.
21
22 Q. Two questions about that: Why were McDonald's given this
23 award on these two occasions?
24 A. On the first occasion it was because they had, well, on
25 both occasions it was because they had assisted the group
26 in one of its major programmes which is called Britain in
27 Bloom which is about the enhancement of the local
28 environment, not only in terms of environment/index.html">litter but also in terms
29 of tree planting and flower planting, things of that sort.
30 They have also been assisting us, as I have already said,
31 in some of our education programmes. On the first occasion
32 they received a lesser award and then on the second
33 occasion received the principal award for companies.
34
35 Q. Can you tell us what assistance it was McDonald's gave for
36 the Britain in Bloom campaign, or whatever it was?
37 A. The Britain in Bloom campaign they funded over which
38 two -- I am speaking from memory -- I think £100,000 per
39 annum and that ran for four years.
40
41 Q. What if it is suggested, Professor Ashworth -- this is the
42 second thing I was going to ask -- that really you had only
43 given these awards to McDonald's in order to ingratiate
44 yourself and your Group with McDonald's so as to ensure
45 they continued support?
46 A. If I tell you that they no longer fund the Britain in
47 Bloom programme because they have decided that they have
48 done so for long enough, and that I suspect that Bin it for
49 Britain, this will be the last year in which they will be
50 funding that. I hope that answers it. I mean, it is not
51 the way we operate.
52
53 Q. Then I want to come finally, if I may, to what McDonald's,
54 perhaps because of their American origins, are pleased to
55 called "trash walks" -- what do you care to call them?
56 A. I think of them as environment/index.html">litter wardens.
57
58 Q. First this, you have told us you have considerable
59 experience of other companies in this country who may be
60 thought to generate environment/index.html">litter -----
