To mark Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, Harrogate in Bloom is fundraising to provide a striking piece of permanent artwork in a horticultural setting to be located on Harrogate’s Crown roundabout.
The voluntary group has already received donations of £3,750 from a number of local companies and local organisations but is now seeking the public’s support to help them raise the extra £3,250 needed for this Diamond Jubilee project.
Organisations who have contributed are:
Harrogate Chamber of Trade & Commerce, T & R Theakston Ltd, North of England Horticultural Society (organisers of the Harrogate Flower Shows), Bettys & Taylors, Tennants Auctioneers, the Crown Hotel, Feather, Smailes and Scales, Rudding Park Hotel and Harrogate in Bloom.
T & R Theakston Ltd have donated £750.
Simon Theakston, Executive Director of Masham based T&R Theakston Ltd, said:
We welcome the opportunity to add our support for this wonderful gesture to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
An artist’s impression of the Diamond Jubilee project is attached
President of Harrogate in Bloom, Mrs Pam Grant, said:
The Diamond Jubilee is an amazing event in this country’s history and we know many will want to celebrate it. What we are proposing is an exciting project, which we are working on with Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks Team, to provide something that will add to our tourist attraction as well as publicly recognise this historic occasion.
Our idea is to commission a wrought iron sculpture replicating the Queen’s coronation crown which will be made by Chiltondale Wrought Ironsmiths based in Summerbridge. The Crown roundabout seemed the perfect place to provide this commemorative artwork as it is at the centre of one of the busiest parts of the town for both residents and visitors being so close to the tourist coach stop and the Valley Gardens.
Once in position the Parks Team will have an interesting iconic sculpture to act as a centrepiece to the stunning seasonal bedding displays. We are very grateful to those that have contributed so far and now hope that residents in the town will also help by making a donation however large or small. We will publicly recognise all contributions. We need to raise all funding by the beginning of February.
Harrogate in Bloom has been invited to enter this year’s Britain in Bloom awards and the Diamond Jubilee project will be added to their portfolio for the judging.
Pam Grant added:
These awards do so much to promote our town to tourists and it would be fantastic if we could bring home the ‘crown’ of Britain in Bloom awards in this special jubilee year.
Cheques should be made payable to Harrogate in Bloom and sent to the Group’s Treasurer, Chris Beard, 14 Woodlands Close, Harrogate HG2 7AZ.
