Company cleans Hednesford memorial for free
A memorial sculpture was cleaned for the first time since being put in its place – and the company hired refused to invoice the council for the work.
Ratcliffe Cleaning Contractors Limited was hired by Hednesford Town Council to steam clean the Cannock Chase Miners' Memorial lamp in Market Street, Hednesford, but when Councillor Sharon Jagger approached the company to pay they refused to send an invoice.
Councillor Jagger, principal speaker for wellbeing, loneliness and isolation and chairwoman of the Friends of Hednesford: Community Volunteers group, said: "The Cannock Chase Miners' Memorial is comprised of the 11ft lamp standing on the brick wall plinth, with names of miners engraved on each brick.
"The other part of the memorial is at ground level, comprised of memorial pavers and named memorial bricks in the garden underneath the town clock (Anglesey Crescent).
"People come from miles around to look at 'their' brick. It is a very important asset to this town.
"Volunteers clean and tidy the ground level pavers each week from The Friends of Hednesford: Community Volunteers.
"It's lovely after being steam cleaned, it had actually got quite dirty from being by the roadside, I don't think it's ever been cleaned before.
"It was put there in 2006. It was a great surprise, the contractors refusing payment, my plan is to look into it being cleaned regularly now."
