Hyde Abbey Garden - TrustNews Mar 03
In the ten months since the last article about the proposed Garden appeared in TrustNews, much progress has been made. At this point in time plans for creating the imaginative design are at an exciting stage.
Friends of Hyde Abbey Garden have so far raised £30,000 which has triggered the release of the sum set aside for the project by the City. The entirely separate work of altering the Leisure Centre Car Park will commence soon in order to clear the space for the Garden. Work on laying out the basic important elements of the design will start shortly after, with further details being added as funds allow.
Fund raising therefore continues unabated to enable us to have as much in place as possible by 2 June. On this day, the commemoration of the Queen's Coronation in 1953, the opening ceremony for the Garden will be performed by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mrs. Mary Fagan - a memorial to a past monarch in a commemoration of a present one.
Friends of Hyde Abbey Garden is now a registered charity, which allows us to claim Gift Aid on donations. We would be most grateful for contributions towards the £24,000 needed to complete the project. This site has a significance which stretches beyond the bounds of local interest and holds echoes of the efforts made to raise the great statue of Alfred at the foot of Winchester's High Street.
Anyone interested in supporting this Jubilee Project can send their contribution to the Chairman, Friends of Hyde Abbey Garden, c/o Historic Resources Centre, Hyde Street, Winchester. S023 7DW. A Gift Aid form will be sent in return.
Barbara Hall.
Chairman, Friends of Hyde Abbey Garden.