Jim Cadman - Statue Entrepreneur!

Mr James William Cadman is involved in serial fund-raising for statues. There was the Don Revie Statue at Elland Road plus Fred Trueman, Les Dawson, Eric Morecambe etc etc etc. A common feature in media reports are local councils being persuaded to back these projects with the promise that they will bring thousands of tourists to the various sites.

Sandwell Council has given Cadman £30,000 plus of public money for the proposed statue of WBA's incomparable "Three Degrees" even though this is supposed to be a "private" project. And what did the moronic Labour "leader" of Sandwell Council, Darren "The Turdmeister" Cooper, say the other day - that the proposed statue would bring "thousands of visitors" to West Bromwich! Oh yeah?

I have submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Sandwell Council as to how it came to "donate" £30,000 of public money to this allegedly "private" project and to establish the legal status of Cadman's "appeal" and what checks the Council undertook before handing him two cheques for £15,000 each.

James William Cadman is based in Stourbridge as were two companies he was involved with - Intofootball Limited and Intoprints & Memorabilia Limited both of which have been struck off and dissolved by Companies House in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Until 2008 Cadman was a director of Tunnel Vision Company Limited but remained as its sole shareholder until that Company was also struck off and dissolved THIS YEAR.

And just last year on 22nd July, 2013 James William Cadman signed the statement of affairs as a Director in a Creditors Voluntary Liquidation of Mediasign Marketing Limited wherein it was stated that "the estimated deficit as regards creditors" was £111,002. (Curiously the sole creditor was a Dutch Company called Cantor Holding BV).

But obviously Sandwell Council must have been fully aware of this curious record and must have conducted proper due diligence before parting with such a large sum of public money. Mustn't they? They have presumably taken steps to ensure that the money is ring-fenced in a trust account or similar - haven't they?

And here is another curious coincidence. Cadman has set up the "Rotherham Sporting Heritage Guild" to raise money for a statue to the first black professional footballer, Arthur Wharton. I am not sure whether Rotherham Council have put money in but various councillors have taken to the media backing the idea. And who do we know who works for Rotherham Council according to his Register of Members' Interests. Step forward one of the two "deputy leaders" of Sandwell Council, Steve Eling!

Companies House documents state that Sunny Jim's birthday is 1st April.......

ADDENDUM - 14TH AUGUST, 2014

For reasons unknown, the companies in which Cadman is involved have a habit of regularly changing their names. More company names are popping up but you can add Pixsportique Limited to the list of struck off and dissolved companies.

Furthermore, our Jim has a bit of history with Sandwell Council. From 1999 to 2003 or thereabouts Mediasign Marketing Limited (now in liquidation as above and where Cadman was a shareholder and director from at least October, 2000 and possibly earlier) had a contract with SMBC to supply illuminated advertising signs on lampposts. SMBC resolved via its scrutiny committee to pull out of the contract - possibly as a result of a new deal they were doing with J C Decaux. On 15th October, 2003 the "cabinet" confirmed that decision and resolved to "negotiate" a termination with Mediasign. Three councillors present when the decision was made were Cooper, Eling and Hussain, the present "leadership".

ADDENDUM - 19TH AUGUST, 2014

One of the almost constant common features of the growing number of companies I have now linked to J. W. Cadman besides having their address at County Lane, Stourbridge is one Mark James Chapman either as a co-director (eg Intofootball Limited & Intoprints & Memorabilia Limited) or as Company Secretary (eg Pixsportique Ltd, Mediasign Marketing Limited (in Liquidation) or Cornerstone Marketing Limited.

Happily, Jim himself does not appear to have been either a Director or Shareholder (or at least not recently) of Media Lights Limited which went into liquidation with debts of three-quarters of a million pounds just last year. Once again, there was a Dutch connection with Media Lights having a Dutch Company as its sole shareholder and three Directors named Lanting - all having Dutch addresses. But the Company was registered at County Lane, Stourbridge and the Company Secretary was - yes - Mark James Chapman.

Which makes it all the more curious that the following comment was made in the Lancashire Evening Post on 7th March, 2008 in respect of Jim Cadman, "Chairman of the Sir Tom Finney Day Committee" (and, more recently, organiser of Tom Finney "Tribute" dinners):

"The gala dinner is being sponsored by the Media Lights Group.

Jim Cadman, from the advertising company, said: “It’s going to be the most incredible thing.” "

The word "incredible" can, of course, mean "extraordinary" or "outstanding" but also "implausible" and "questionable". Clearly, however, Jim was merely just an employee and spokesperson for Media Lights in 2008.

ADDENDUM - 20th AUGUST, 2014

Unfortunately the online service at Companies House do not go back as far as the 1990's but other searches APPEAR to link Mr Cadman with a number of other companies (mostly dissolved). This is a non-exclusive list but he appears to have been a short-lived Director at Results From Print Limited, Ninian Leisure Limited and Full Time Communications Limited. I don't know if he had a shareholding in any of those companies. He also seems to have had a more direct involvement in James Cadman Associates Limited (Dissolved) and Football Heroes Limited (Dissolved). 

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