ACTOR Stephen Fry and novelist Julian Barnes have become the latest supporters of the campaign to turn Reading Gaol into an arts and heritage site.
Campaigners are calling on the Ministry of Justice not to sell the gaol to the highest bidder and instead turn it into a cultural hub.
They are now planning a new protest event later this month to raise awareness of their aims.
Amid fears that the historic building will be converted into a block of luxury flats, Stephen Fry expressed his support of the campaign.
Fry played Oscar Wilde in a 1997 film about the gaol’s most famous prisoner.
The playwright and poet was incarcerated in the prison for two years, and published his Ballad of Reading Gaol after his release.
Fry said: “Flowers can grow out of manure, and if living art can rise up from the place where Oscar and so many others suffered then how perfect that will be, for Reading, for Britain and for us all”.
Booker Prize winning novelist Julian Barnes has also pledged his support and said: “Turning a prison into an arts centre is the equivalent of beating swords into ploughshares. I fully support this ambitious and enterprising project.”
His backing joins the likes of Reading East MP Matt Rodda, who said: “I am absolutely delighted that the campaign to turn Reading Gaol into an arts and heritage site has been recognised by Stephen Fry and Julian Barnes.
“Their support comes at a crucial time for the future of the site.”
Residents will march through Reading on Saturday, March 21, in full Victorian costume, with signs and banners to object the plans to turn the Gaol into flats.
Beginning outside The Hexagon in Queens Walk, protesters will cross through the town centre and finish the march at the Abbey Ruins side of Reading Gaol.
The last campaign event, the Reading Gaol Hug, was a huge success and had an estimated 700 people join in and show their support.
A spokesperson said: “The Ministry of Justice could make their decision at any time, so we need to act quickly to make our voices heard again.
“We don’t want the historical Gaol to become luxury flats, we want it to be a world-class arts and heritage site, open to all, and an asset to the whole community.”
MP Rodda has also launched a petition to stop the Gaol sell-off. To sign, visit bit.ly/2Or95Vc
To join the midday protest visit the Save Reading Gaol Facebook page, or visit its Eventbrite page.
