George Ferguson: Bristol's campaigners are derided as cranks

Sometimes we need reminding of those individuals in Bristol who have done so much to protect its heritage and to fight the philistines who know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.

Without these courageous individuals we would have a much blander city, one that was all about a brave new world that took little account of the special character and variety that makes Bristol such a remarkable city.

And yet too often these campaigners for a better city are derided by the establishment as cranks, while in truth they should be "listed" as living legends.

I would particularly like to highlight a couple of fearless campaigners – firstly Dorothy Brown, and her Bristol Visual and Environmental Group, who have dared to take direct action to do what they believe in, and without whom an unloved Old Market and its medieval buildings may well have been lost to us.

When Bristol City Council was possibly at its most dangerous – in the 1970s and 1980s – Dorothy was producing publications to highlight our varied and fascinating architectural history, helping to inform decision making.

Dorothy would say there was a lot more that needed to be done – but the fact that she has dedicated her life to the city's physical well being has made a huge difference that has not always been fully appreciated.

Secondly, I nominate that formidable artist duo Jerry and Ann Hicks who have fought valiantly to try to bring more character and variety to new development, working individually and through the Civic Society, which has itself often been seen by the city administration as a big pain.

Ann and Jerry, who don't have a car and observe the city as real human beings, have always used their artistic talent to make their point. I may not have always agreed with them on every point, after all I am an architect, but I have always agreed that their intervention has been positive.

The truth is that it is people with passion for their place who should be listened to more than bean counters who think regeneration is all about numbers, big buildings and profits, and little about the history and the people that give the city its real value.

So let's celebrate these selfless campaigners for a better future and remember Churchill's words: "If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future."

Let's look to the younger heritage heroes to take up the reins from Dorothy Brown and the Hicks as they grow older and lets never allow them to be dismissed as irrelevant or impractical by the property men (generally men!) who think that they know best.