PEOPLE in Wellington are being urged to demonstrate public support for the restoration of Wellington Monument.

Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, has launched a petition to demonstrate backing locally for the project to bodies which could potentially pay for it.

She says the petition, which can be signed at the WWN’s office in High Street, could also promote community involvement through schools, local organisations, the town council and other groups.

“Restoring this revered symbol would not only be wonderful for Wellington but could also make an important contribution to the ongoing development of the wider South-West, located as it is in such a strategic location marking the gateway to the region,” she added.

The Monument is in a desperate state of repair and in dire need of restoration. It has been fenced off and closed to the public – the 232 steps inside can no longer be climbed – since 2008 because of the dangers of falling masonry.

Despite that more than 40,000 people still visit the site each year, including a large number of people with physical and learning disabilities and their carers, partly owing to the ease of access and the beauty of the location.

Traditionally, the obelisk was lit at night, serving as a beacon for miles around, but owing to its precarious state this no longer occurs regularly.

However, as a one-off event, together with the National Trust, which now owns the monument, a special one-off light up last year marked the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

Ms Pow says the National Trust has many demands on its resources and any project will require a multi-pronged approach.

But the trust has made progress in conducting comprehensive feasibility surveys to see what work needs to be done to save the structure, including a Ground Penetrating Radar Survey (GPR), wind and movement measurement and an exterior visual survey, which is vital in terms of considering a way forward.