News
Pittville Gates Fundraising Concert 31 March 2012
Gloucestershire Police Male Voice Choir will be performing a varied programme of popular, traditional and classical pieces at St Matthew’s Church, Clarence Street, Cheltenham GL50 3PL in aid of Pittville Gates Restoration Fund.
Tickets cost £7.50 (free for one child per adult) and are available by telephone or e-mail (see the events page) or by completing this form. Please download, com- plete and return by email or post/deliver to either of the addresses on the form.
The concert starts at 7.30pm, and there will be refreshments at interval. Parking is available in nearby streets and car parks.
This is our main public fundraising event this year and we are very pleased to be sponsored by Mark Benson Building Services, which has covered the choir’s fee and the venue hire.
Please support both Friends of Pittville and the Gloucestershire Police Male Voice Choir by coming to this concert. It is some time since the choir performed in central Cheltenham and they are looking forward to it greatly – as are we.
Community Bridge Installed Over Lower Lake
Last Thursday, 5 January, the long-awaited ‘community bridge’ was lowered into place across the Lower Lake, on a narrow stretch of water between the Boathouse and the island. There has been a bridge at that spot since 1810, so an historic crossing between Marle Hill and St Paul’s has been restored. There is still a lot to do before people can walk over it, including applying the bridge's concrete decking, laying paths, and levelling and seeding the damaged grassed areas. It is anticipated that work will be completed by the end of the month, weather permitting.
For more information see the Borough Council’s press release.
Replanted Flower Beds in Pittville Park
On 15 December, ten of our volunteers, with four Borough Council staff, replanted the six flowerbeds next to the aviaries in Pittville Park. Luckily the weather held and, since then, there has been plenty of rain to get the plants off to a good start. They include roses, several kinds of lavender, and different thymes and oregano.
The garden is designed to attract butterflies and bees, and in summer we hope it will provide pleasure for everyone. Thank you to the Council for providing the design, the plants and equally important, topping up the soil!
‘Ellerslie’ in Albert Road, Rowena Cade and Sir Walter Scott
There is a fascinating article in the November 2011 issue of the Cheltenham Local History Society’s Newsletter about residents, or supposed residents, of ‘Ellerslie’ in Albert Road. Historian Eric Miller wrote to us earlier this year to ask if we knew whether the Wikipedia entry was true, that Sir Walter Scott had once owned the house. We didn’t know the answer but Eric has unearthed the facts (see page 10).
On page 4 there is a notice about the Cheltenham Civic Society’s forthcoming 2011 Paterson Memorial Lecture. It is on Monday 12 December, at 7.30, at St Matthew’s Church in Clarence Street. The speaker is architect of the award-winning Maggie’s Centre in Cheltenham, Sir Richard MacCormac. This is a public lecture and all are welcome; the cost is £5.
Grants for Pittville
The Pittville Gates Restoration Project has been given a £20,000 grant by Cheltenham Borough Council through its ‘Cheltenham Environmental Fund’. The money comes from the ‘new homes bonus’, which is funding from central government related to redevelopment and building of new houses in Cheltenham. More information about the scheme is in this 26 August 2011 press release.
The grant is dependent on us obtaining other funding, but it is a great boost for the Project and we hope it will encourage other funding bodies to view our grant applications favourably. We are now concentrating on applying for other grants. Donations of any size of course continue to be most welcome.
The Council has also decided to give money to Pittville for several other improvements in the Park and for a tree trail. Brief details of all the successful projects are listed in this Cabinet decision paper
Minutes of Executive Committee Meeting - 10th January 2012
The minutes of the latest meeting are now available to view by
clicking here.
Some recent items of news have been archived.
They can still be viewed here.