The rebuild of this website has started – I have no specific deadline but I would hope to get the website in general shape be early February.

It will still need further updating and additions over time, but it should be generally accurate.

This will initially be a replica of the TWMPC website and then updated to cover all Tutbury War Memorials

Over the course of two days, a team of ten volunteers from St. Mary’s PCC and the TWMPC cleared a waste patch opposite the South Door and moved the plants from the War Memorial Garden.  This was necessary because the impending conservation work which would have destroyed the plants – it is not an ideal time to do this and some plants may not survive the move – but none would have survived left where they were.  Click here or on the picture to see pictures of the work and the new garden.

The War Memorial Garden (as was) is now very untidy – it cannot be helped.  The War Memorial conservation will be over by early September and then we will create a new, smaller, garden with a low maintenance requirement – the target is completion before Remembrance Sunday

You will see a lot of bulbs in the old WMG flowerbed – these are Spanish bluebells – it was decided that as they are an invasive species which threatens the common bluebell they would not be transplanted and their re-growth will be discouraged

Click on pictures for a larger image – picture refs: 20150730 1003  /     20150801 1227  /     20150721 1507

At an onsite meeting between TWMPC, St. Mary’s PCC, Richard Smith of Smith & Roper and Derek Park of Midland Stonemasonry, a revised start date has been agreed, Monday 10th August, with completion now scheduled for Friday 4th September.

Getting ready for the conservation work to start in two weeks time, the temporary Wreath Holder has been removed.  The Remembrance Wreaths and Crosses have been put in the Lady Chapel.  We hope to install two permanent specially made Wreath Holders, sponsored  by British Gypsum, later in the year

As a starter, the “new flower bed” has been sprayed with weedkiller – the next week will see how effective it is.

Rick & Jane Nuth, Shirley & Brian Newton and Roger Sharp met at the War Memorial to consider the first stage of saving the plants in the War Memorial Garden.  The garden will be in the way, and partly covered over, by the conservation work and changes; after the conservation is completed a new, smaller garden will be created with low maintenance plants.  Therefore the existing plants will not be needed.

So the plan is to move them to other locations in the churchyard just before the conservation work starts – given the time of year and the age of the plants we may not be successful with all of the plants – but some should survive.

Today was the day to work out where to put them.  The roses will go to areas long the east-west path to reinforce the rose ‘corridor’ and the lavender, primroses, etc. will go to a new flower bed to be established on the bank opposite the south door where the large conifer used to be.

Today has been the start of the physical aspects of the conservation project!

The work to move the plants will take place at the end of July.