Crewe Station is Blooming
Brilliant
0085/lj
21 May 2008
Work to transform part of Platform 5 at Crewe
rail station into an oasis of calm has finally been completed.
The impressive 48 square-metre garden is part
of a Cheshire-wide campaign to promote the ‘Cheshire’s Year of
Gardens 08’ initiative, an extravaganza of events and activities
centred on Cheshire’s 29 ‘Gardens of Distinction’.
This ambitious garden project was officially
opened by the Mayor of Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council Cllr
Brian Silvester, watched by Cheshire’s Year of Gardens 08 Steering
Group Chair, Felicity Goodey CBE.
The Mayor of Crewe and Nantwich, Cllr Brian
Silvester, said, in opening the garden,: “We, in the Borough
of Crewe and Nantwich, are very lucky to have our fair share of
Cheshire’s horticultural delights. With Queens Park
undergoing a mammoth restoration to bring it back to its Victorian
splendour and former glory, Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, Combermere
Abbey and the Nantwich Railway Station project, to name just a few,
we have so much to savour on our doorstep.”
The garden has been developed by local tourism
board, Visit Chester & Cheshire and delivered by Virgin Trains,
Bridgemere Garden World, Crewe and Nantwich Council and Reaseheath
Horticultural College.
A competition involving Reaseheath
Horticultural College students to produced the design was won by
garden design student, Debbie Dexter. “Hopefully this display
will encourage others to visit some of the many fantastic gardens
in Cheshire this year”, said Debbie.
Virgin Trains Station Manager for Crewe, Sam
Dixon, has been involved in the project from the start. “We
wanted to do something to make best use of the usused space at
Crewe station. Debbie's creation is very eye-catching, but
also blends in with the architecture of the station", he said.
Visit Chester & Cheshire Chief Executive,
Chris Brown, commented: “As the main gateway into Cheshire
and England’s North West, Crewe Station has a major role in
communicating the Gardens of Distinction brand to tens of thousands
of residents, visitors and business travelers.”
Felicity Goodey added: “This ambitious
project is the result of great teamwork involving garden design
students, local businesses and Visit Chester & Cheshire.
It will help highlight the fantastic range of
garden and cultural opportunities we have in our area, and
encourage residents and visitor to take time out to enjoy
them.”
Cheshire’s Year of Gardens 08 is one of the
biggest initiatives ever launched by Visit Chester & Cheshire
to boost Cheshire’s visitor economy.
It has been developed in partnership with
Cheshire County Council, the Northwest Regional Development Agency
(NWDA), Rural Enterprise, private sector partners, Virgin Trains,
Cheshire Building Society and local councils.
A full programme of activities and events
including the Tatton Park Biennial, Orchid and Bluebell Festivals,
World Environment Day and the Pumpkin Festival are expected to
attract an additional 300,000 visitors and generate an economic
impact of £15 million. Its impact will be felt well beyond 2008 and
will benefit businesses and communities across Cheshire.
For more information on Cheshire’s Year of
Gardens, visit http://www.yearofgardens08.com/
Note to Editors
Cheshire’s Year of Gardens is part of a
groundbreaking initiative to unlock the tourism-boosting potential
of almost 30 garden attractions in Cheshire.
The year will feature a major programme of
music, art, theatre, sport and food and drink events at major
garden locations including Tatton Park, Lyme Park, Arley Hall and
Gardens, Chester Zoo, Jodrell Bank, Ness Gardens, Cholmondeley
Castle Gardens and Norton Priory.
Cheshire’s Year of Gardens 08 initiative is
being directed by a steering group chaired by Felicity Goodey CBE,
a former BBC journalist who is also who is also Lifelong President
of the Lowry Trustees.
Joint promotions will also see gardens
highlighted to the estimated two million visitors expected to visit
the Liverpool 08 celebrations.
A group of students from Reaseheath College
accepted the challenge to come up with innovative designs for the
project. The winning proposal from student Debbie Dexter was
selected by representatives from local tourism board Visit Chester
& Cheshire, Virgin Trains, Crewe & Nantwich Borough
Council, Bridgemere Garden World, Reaseheath College and
Landscape Contractors W A P Lawton & Son Ltd.
Debbie lives in Northwich and is currently
studying for a Professional Diploma in Garden Design.
The garden has been constructed with plants
provided by Bridgemere Garden World.
COUNCIL
CONTACT:
Lucy Johnson – Tourism Development Manager
TELEPHONE:
01270
537505
EMAIL: lucy.johnson@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk
For Media enquiries
contact: Ian
Richardson - 01270 537018
ian.richardson@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk
or http://www.crewe-nantwich.gov.uk/
Top