A WOMAN has succeeded in her mission to save a 100-year-old gate outside a Yate house set to be demolished to make way for the town's new cinema-led leisure complex.


Lynn Kay, 61, from Chipping Sodbury, was upset to hear that a gate on Station Road with the same name as her own cottage, 'Brook Side' was due to be demolished as part of the £12 million leisure complex development called Riverside.


Mrs Kay, a medical secretary in Yate, decided to battle for ownership of the gate at 234 Station Road for over two years, and was presented with the gate on Wednesday, February 18 by Yate Shopping Centre manager Andrew Lowrey.


Mrs Kay said: “I walk up and down Station Road every day to work and years ago I noticed the lovely old metal gate which has the name 'Brook Side' wrought into it and always thought how lovely it would be to have one like that on my house as I too live in a 'Brook Side' cottage.


“When the house obviously became empty three years or so ago I was upset to think it would be demolished to make way for a new development and the old gate would probably just be sent for scrap so I thought I would try to find out who owned it and ask if I could buy the gate to save it.


“It seemed like one little bit of Yates history that I could perhaps preserve and give a new lease of life just up the road.


“It’s taken over two years and a great many phone calls, letters and e-mails starting with the council and finally being put in touch with Paul Boden from Hanover Cube LLP in London last year who very kindly said I could have the gate when the project got underway."


Mr Lowrey said: “We are very pleased that we were able to give the gate to a local resident to ensure that part of the cottages remain in use.


"The site clearance created a lot of interest among people passing-by and we had several requests for other gates and even the stone wall which is being retained.


“Now that the major part of the clearance is complete we look forward to starting construction of the Yate Riverside cinema-led leisure complex in the next couple of weeks.”


Mrs Kay added: “I can’t quite believe its finally worked out, I feel so lucky my persistence paid off and I’m really grateful to everyone, especially Paul Boden, for their help.


“It’s lovely to think the gate has been in Yate for the last 100 years and will now be nearby in Sodbury for the next 100 years."


The house is scheduled to be demolished next month when main construction work will commence for the development, and the cinema will be completed by December.