Last updated 12:59, Tuesday, 19 August 2008

JAMES Bond buff Peter Nelson is looking for a licence to thrill thousands of visitors to Keswick each holiday season.

Mr Nelson, the man who runs the town’s Cars of the Stars exhibition in Keswick, has ambitious plans to turn part of a former supermarket and climbing wall on the Southey Hill trading estate into a James Bond exhibition space.

The self-confessed Bond fan does not have sufficient space in his existing museum in Standish Street to display all of his memorabilia, which includes cars from the 007 movies and numerous other souvenirs he has collected over the last 20 years.

But he plans to open a new exhibition in the former Caterite supermarket building, incorporating what is at present the Keswick Climbing Wall.

Mr Nelson says that he hopes to imbue a whole new generation with the same spirit of adventure that Ian Fleming’s secret agent embodied.

He has around 20 Bond film cars, along with the weapon from The Man With the Golden Gun and other gadgets which have made a spectacular impact on film-goers.

Mr Nelson said: “Desmond Llewellyn, who played the inventor Q, was a great friend. I have got some of the great iconic pieces from the films including some of the Q gadgets.

“I think I have the best Bond collection in the world. It’s taken me 20 years to gather the items together.

“This scheme could have a huge, beneficial effect for Keswick.”

Mr Nelson said that education and science will play an integral role in the display and he hopes that it will provide facilities for local youngsters.

Jonny Hume, who is involved in running the climbing wall, will join Mr Nelson to help run activity days with the chance to abseil down a Bond tower.

“Bond is synonymous with fitness and sports like judo, karate and fencing, so we will be able to put on displays by experts and bring in stunt men to develop the adventure theme,” said Mr Nelson.

Mr Nelson hopes to arrange talks by authorities on the Ian Fleming character and is a close friend of actor Roger Moore’s personal assistant.

“I want to engage with young people and use the building in the evenings,” he said.

He even has an exhibit that shows the dangers of carrying knives, which he plans to show to youngsters.

Pierce Brosnan was badly cut by a real knife while making one of the Bond films and, as a result, it was decided to use a rubber knife. Mr Nelson was given that rubber knife by Brosnan and it’s one of the exhibits he plans to have on display.