Culture, Media and Sport Minister Andy Burnham will visit Ryhope allotments to show his support for the bid to salvage Sunderland's unique piece of working class sporting heritage.

A rising star of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's cabinet, he will speak to the men fighting to save the grade II-listed cree from demolition by developers.

Along with a number of fellow alloment holders they include Maurice Surtees, who with his late brother William, built the cree in 1953.

The determined 75-year-old has also suffered a heart attack while trying to stop Newcastle-based landowner Worktalent Ltd from using the site for development.

Mr Burnham became keen to see the cree for himself after the campaign to save it made headlines worldwide.

He will be accompanied tomorrow by Houghton and Washington MP Fraser Kemp, who has championed the Ryhope community's bid to keep the loft, which houses up to 80 birds.

He said: "I'm absolutely delighted that Mr Burnham is taking the time and trouble to visit the men and hear about their campaign to protect this important part of our national heritage.

"He is also coming to listen to the views of the local community and children about how they want to turn the allotments into a community trust.

"It's a great tribute to the whole community in Ryhope that it's receiving this national recognition."

The battle to save the cree has already been backed by Gordon Brown in a message of support on its 10th anniversary of receiving listed status, and it has been visited by Hollywood star Robbie Coltrane.

The allotment holders, who rejected a move to a new base at Tunstall Bank, have faced eviction ever since their lease ran out on New Year's Day.

But as revealed in the Echo, negotiations are under way to broker a deal to save the Back Ryhope Street site.

gentoo Living, the social enterprise arm of the former Sunderland Housing Group, wants to keep the land as working allotments and pigeon crees for the benefit of the community.

Worktalent, which is as based at an address in Grey Street, Newcastle – also that of its solicitor Mark, Gilbert, Morse – has declined to comment about the matter.