Further to our recent press release and following various comments on social media and elsewhere we are issuing the following statement for clarification.
On 23rd June 2021, the lawyers of The Coniston Institute & Ruskin Museum (The Museum) issued a Letter of Claim to The Bluebird Project Ltd (BPL) in respect of Bluebird K7. This is not formal legal action; it is a letter before action, giving BPL a timeframe in which to respond.
To clarify, The Museum has not told BPL to remove the parts they have added to the original Bluebird K7 as part of the restoration. The Museum has requested BPL to return Bluebird K7 in as complete a configuration as possible. This was originally envisaged and agreed (although it appears that this may now be disputed by BPL).
Alternatively, the Museum would accept the suggestion made by Bill Smith, Project Leader of BPL in 2019, that they remove the parts they see as their property, and allow The Museum to receive Bluebird K7 as recovered from Coniston Water. However, this is not our preferred option.
It is also our intention to run a fully operable Bluebird K7 on Coniston Water.
