Every year St Thomas’s Church in Salisbury has a Christmas Tree Festival, with trees dressed and donated by a wide variety of organisations and individuals. This year we contributed one - a hawthorn branch decorated with green and blue bows and little sheep. The tree was conceived by Pat Hellewell and Hadrian Cook, and ‘dressed’ by Pat, with the help of her talented grandchildren, who made the sheep! It looked super. Our great thanks to Hadrian, Pat and particularly her grandchildren.

November 4 - Talk by Helen Mariage

A large audience (including, I think, the entire Salisbury Festival Staff) turned up to hear a most inspiring and witty talk by Helen about her job of organising and managing spectacularly large events - notably ‘The Sultan’s Elephant’ in the heart of London in 2007 and the Giant Spider in Liverpool last summer. We were all amazed by her ability to pick up a phone and get through to anyone and everyone from Ministers to Royal Household staff. The charm - and steel core - she uses on them was also very apparent to us and there were a lot of laughs as well as gasps at the sheer scale of her undertakings.

She also showed us a video of ‘The Sultan’s Elephant’, with some very memorable images. Her next task is to arrange the ‘human sculpture’ on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square for Antony Gormley. Tea was also available after the Talk (thanks to Vicki Fullom and her team) and we benefited financially by some £500. A great afternoon.

Jennifer Bowen

Sept 14th - Rose Cottage Open Day

We had our usual Autumn Open Day on September 14, for people to drop into Rose Cottage, ask questions, look at displays, have a cup of coffee or tea etc. Hadrian also took 2 walks - one in the morning and one in the afternoon - both attended by over 20 people.

Around 120 people visited the Cottage in total. In addition this time we had a great ceremony at lunchtime - to launch our new History, written by Hadrian Cook, Michael Cowan and Tim Tatton-Brown. We were thrilled to have our Patron, The Very Revd June Osborne, Dean of Salisbury; the Mayor of New Sarum and her Lady Mayoress; our MP Robert Key and his wife; the Chairman of the Trustees Lord Marland of Odstock and this wife; Trustee Peter Pleydell-Bouverie and one of his daughters; and about 50 other people present.

Sadly our President - Dean Emeritus Hugh Dickinson - was unable to be present but sent a message. The Dean, Lord Marland and the Mayor all spoke, the 3 authors were there to sign books, wine & sandwiches were provided by the Friends Committee (+ friends) - and over all this the sun shone! It was a really memorable occasion - and we sold about 50 books!

I would like to express my very grateful thanks to all the ‘VIPs’ who spared their valuable time to come, to my Committee for their help in every way (as well as the sandwiches) and to David Allen for acting as Wine Steward.

Last - but not least - the funds benefitted by some £200 (over + above sales of the History)

Jennifer Bowen

July 19th - Harnham Garden Show and Fete

This was held on Saturday July 19, and we had a ‘stall’ - actually our new gazebo and banner (with grateful thanks for the gazebo to John & Carol Beckett).

It turned out to be a sunny, albeit breezy, afternoon and we were very happily set up in our new gazebo, which turned out to be a lot more stable than the old one!

There were a lot of people attending and we made several useful contacts, and sold £52 worth of publications.

July 19th - Harnham Garden Show and Fete

Thanks to John Beckett and Hadrian for putting up, and taking down, the gazebo, and to Rosemary, Vicki and Hadrian for helping with sales/marketing.

J. Bowen

June 1st 2008 - Festival Walk of the Meadows

May 10th - Family Enviroment Day

This year’s Family Environment Day went smoothly and we enjoyed reasonable weather. Thanks to Ray Topp’s hard work, the garden was looking a lot tidier than hitherto with the box hedges and undergrowth removed, and grass sown in order to extend the useful area of grass at the expense of bare earth, ash and rubble. An impressive array of stalls and other things-to-do were distributed around the garden to keep our visitors, both young and not-so-young, occupied. Participation included: Graham Rendell (bats and bees), Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Jon Austin (adders), Agenda 21, Living River Project (pond dipping), Jonathan Dance (quizmaster), Jane Brine (plants), Cain Bio-engineering (river maintenance and enhancement) and our publishers Hobnob Press. Next year’s Day is May 9.

H. Cook

April 26th - Cathedral Open Day

As part of the Cathedral’s 750th celebrations an Open Day was held on April 26. Entry to the Cathedral, and to various other attractions in The Close, was free and a number of Organisations connected to the Cathedral had Information Stands. We were one of these Organisations, and we answered alot of questions and gave out alot of information. In addition I led a shortened walk over the Meadows.

J. Bowen

April 25th - South Wilts Grammar School Charity Event

Every year ‘South Wilts’ puts on a Charity Fair to support a range of causes, be they international, national or local. Representing the Friends were Rosemary Allen and me, and, as ever, we found it pleasing not only to witness the engagement from this prominent local secondary school, but to appreciate the work done by its students for a whole range of causes, including ourselves. Raising money can be fun - as the girls demonstrated - as well as raising their awareness of what needs to be done out there. From memory, the single favourite means of raising cash involved the manufacture of chocolate items, but there was a lot more. We are, as a result, the proud possessor of a yellow felt duck as well as benefiting from a mass production of cotton wool sheep. A big thanks is due to all involved at South Wilts for their work on our behalf.

H. Cook

April 10th - Susan Harris Memorial bench at Town Path

I collected Helen and Vic Flute from the Railway Station at 2.45 pm on Wednesday 9 April. Helen was Susan’s best friend from Sarum St Michael College and Vic was engaged to Susan at the time of the tragedy in 1966. It was so nice to meet them after several months of emailing one
another.

I drove them to the Old Mill Hotel, where they were staying the night, appropriately, to be near and ready for the unveiling the following morning.

On the bright sunny morning of 10 April at 9.30 am, my brother Trevor and I, collected Helen and Vic from the Old Mill and made a trip to Salisbury Cathedral to see the Memorial Window that they both had donated to after the tragedy. The window is above the main entrance. We were greeted with a camera man from Salisbury Journal who wanted to film the event. It was the first time in many years that they had both seen the window. We were then offered a guided tour inside the Cathedral, where Helen and Vic lit a candle in Susan’s honour.

Mindful of the time, we made our way back to the car and drove back to the Old Mill, ready for the unveiling at 10.30 and parked the car.

We then walked to the Old Mill in glorious sunshine and had no idea of how many people would be there. I had numerous queries from people over the months and I had asked them to be there for 10.20.

It was absolutely awe-inspiring when we walked around the corner to see so many people there waiting, in fact they were blocking up the Town Path! I would say there were 35-50 people, including many friends from the College, several family members (who had travelled up from Cornwall), the Mayor of Salisbury, local police, the two boys central to the 1966 tragedy - now grown men of course - and many interested people.

After I said a few words, Rev David Scrace then blessed the Bench. Helen and Vic and Mary and Ron (Susan’s Cousins) then unveiled the Bench, revealing the Brass Plaque with wording chosen by Susan’s Aunt, Joan Griffiths, now 88 and still living in the Rame area in Cornwall. Aframed copy of the plaque was presented to Helen and Vic.

After the noise of the camera lenses, and a time of thought for all, everyone retired to the Old Mill, who had provided refreshments. Much ‘reminiscing’ then took place for the next hour or so.

I later drove Helen and Vic back to the station, where they boarded their train to London, to get home to Suffolk. They arrived safely back later that day.

Three weeks later on May 22, my brother and I made a special trip down to Rame in Cornwall, to visit Joan Griffiths.

It was a pleasure to finally meet her, after first speaking to her on the phone six months earlier. We gave Joan many photos of the unveiling and copies of the story from the Salisbury Journal and Avon Advertiser. We then presented her also with a framed copy of the Brass Plaque. She smiled and was very happy with this and said that she would ask the Rector of Rame if the framed
plaque could be hung inside the Church.

We left Joan and made our final pledge; to visit Susan’s grave in the church of Rame, just a few miles away from where Joan now lives.

We parked up and went in the Church grave yard. We looked for the stone and found it and could just about read the words on it. Susan was cremated in Salisbury, but her ashes lie under the ‘special stone’ - Joan’s words, as the family found this large stone on the Beach nearby after the accident.

Visiting the grave was the final piece in our jigsaw, and what a fitting place for the plaque to hang, in this ancient church, overlooing the sea, that Susan loved so much. She used to unlock the Church every day and did plan to marry there.

We both wrote in the book of remembrance in the Church and then closed the door behind us before driving back home.

Helen and Vic have just recently become Grandparents, again.

Brian Dalton

March 15th - Harnham Spring Clean

The Friends of Harnham Water Meadows were again responsible for swelling the numbers of volunteers when they joined other members of the community in the Annual Harnham Spring Clean on Saturday March 15. The numbers of bags of rubbish collected from Harnham’s streams, hedges, footpaths and meadows increases each year. Does this show that litter is an increasing problem or that more people are doing a more thorough job? Whatever the reason it shows how worthwhile it is and, from all the favourable comments from passers by, how much our efforts are appreciated. Hot drinks and cakes were served at both Rose Cottage and the Old Mill this year, - the latter courtesy of the owners Simon and Steve.

Pam Rouquette

March 15th - Rose Cottage Open Day

Another very successful Open Day was also held on Saturday March 15, with alot of people visiting the Cottage and partaking of refreshments. A great many questions were answered (satisfactorily we hope!), and alot of publications sold. Hadrian also took 2 walks.

March 7th 2008 - The Lost Garden of Heligan

The Lost Garden of Heligan - 300,000 visitors, £4 million income, a staff of 100 and a committee of one - Peter Stafford Managing Director!

90 filled the Lecture Room, a show of hands proved the popularity of Heligan, we had nearly all visited it. We were privileged to be given an insight into some of the problems and successes of Heligan by Peter’s entertaining and informative ‘off the cuff’ talk. We followed him from his visit 12 years ago in smart suit, a DTI (Dept. of Trade and Industry) consultant to the present day! Peter’s enthusiasm, love of nature, Cornwall and the Cornish for 45 minutes transported us into the magic of ‘Healing Heligan’.

A chance meeting with a couple experimenting with cameras to see into the hidden world of animals and birds led to the ‘Horsemoor Hide’ including a Barn Owl nesting box, being built; a pioneering wildlife interpretation centre, the latest gadgets giving a close-up view on the indoor plasma screens. The barn owls became stars of Bill Oddie and Kate’s TV nature watch. Seven lovely eggs hatched, but disaster, the male owl was killed and food was short. The natural survival instincts resulted in hungry large chick eating his siblings whilst on TV! BBC phone lines were jammed by anxious callers. The secret story - later the large chick fell out of the nest, broke his legs and was operated on for free by a Plymouth vet, he survived and with care and planning was accepted back in the nest.

Peter has a belief in the cycle and purpose of life and nature, for example children must know where their food comes from. The cattle and sheep, which visitors enjoy strolling among in the fields of Heligan, have their cycle and purpose. They are bred to be the beef and lamb served in the Tea Rooms or sold at the ‘Farm Shop’ in the carpark. The shop is run by the farmers for the farmers, so it is not surprising that Peter has gained the trust of local Cornish farmers enabling Heligan to expand and offer 200 acres of space to the public; the Preserved garden, the Jungle garden with views to the fishing village of Mevagissey and the wonderful parkland.

A generation ago Dutch Elm Disease changed our landscape, a new disease, SOD or Sudden Oak Death, which infects rhododendrons and spreads to trees, was detected in Cornwall in 2002. Defra officials wanted all the rhododendrons to be ripped out, but Peter stood his ground and refused to do it. If proof was needed not to cut down the shrubs one, experimentally cut in half, has produced new growth with many more SOD spores.

The Heligan rhododendrons collection is famous, they thrive in the micro climate of the valley. Peter had recognised the importance of the collection and it is preserved, each variety is nurtured in a collection of pots. The threat of the huge rhododendron trees dying, some as big as the Lecture Hall, led him to look under their ‘skirts’. He cut an opening and revealed the bare branches forming a wonderful, awe inspiring shape. Seats have been placed inside, where people can experience the magic healing of Heligan.

Last year The Lost Gardens of Heligan celebrated a birthday, 15 years of being open to the public. Cornish residents were invited to visit for free over a fifteen day period, 15,000 residents came. Heligan is the pride of Cornwall, Peter Stafford has got it right. How lucky we were that he came to talk to us.

Jan Fitzjohn

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