MEDIA PRELEASE - 4 July 2008

Stonemasons begin work in Jenner Gardens

Work to lift and re-lay gravestones in Jenner Gardens has begun. A team from Robin F. Paul Stonemasons started on-site on Monday 30th June.

The landscape works are well underway and the boundary wall is now almost finished. Once the gravestones have been levelled, a new path will be installed which will link Jenner Walk to the Cheltenham High Street.

Claire Stenson, parks technical officer for Cheltenham Borough Council, says:
“I am delighted with the way work is progressing. We have received many positive and encouraging comments – form the Friends of Jenner Gardens, locals and passers-by.”

Cllr Paul Massey, Cabinet member for sustainability, adds:
“I welcome the progress at Jenner Gardens. This restoration project will turn the gardens into a vibrant green space in the town centre.”

Most of the hard landscaping work is expected to be completed by November. The Friends of Jenner Gardens are continuing fundraising for the statue of Jenner, information panels and seating. It is hoped that these will be installed next spring.

Jenner Gardens are set in the graveyard of Cheltenham Chapel just off the lower High Street. The gardens are being restored to honour Edward Jenner, the pioneer of vaccination, who lived in the town between 1795 and 1820.

The work is being funded from a variety of sources: £40,000 from the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust; £10,000 from BBC Breathing Places; £10,000 from the Summerfield Trust; and £10,000 from Cheltenham Borough Council.

To find out more about Jenner Gardens or The Friends of Jenner Gardens please contact: Cheltenham Borough Council’s green environment division on 01242 250019 or visit www.friends-of-jenner-gardens.org.uk

END OF RELEASE

Notes:

About Edward Jenner and Jenner Gardens
Jenner Gardens is the graveyard of Cheltenham Chapel, situated off the Lower High Street, near the Spa Bowls Club.

Edward Jenner is famous for the development of vaccination to combat smallpox. He lived in Gloucestershire all his life, except for some years studying medicine in London. From 1795 to 1820 he lived and worked in Cheltenham, residing in a house in St George’s Place, near to the Cheltenham Chapel.

Jenner’s research on vaccination to combat the scourge of smallpox was of immense benefit to humanity. 184 years after his original experiments, The World Health Organisation was able to announce the eradication of this disease. Few people have left so beneficent a legacy.

About the Friends of Jenner Gardens
The Friends of Jenner Gardens is a group of local residents and businesses whose aim is to create a public garden in the graveyard for the benefit of the local community. They are currently seeking funds to implement plans produced by Cheltenham Borough Council’s Operations Division.

About the landfill tax credit scheme
Landfill tax credit scheme is a tax on landfill waste that was introduced in 1996 as a means to reduce the amount of land-filled waste and to promote a shift to more environmentally sustainable methods of waste management.
This innovative tax credit scheme enables operators of landfill sites to contribute money to enrolled Environmental Bodies to carry out projects which improve the lives of communities living near landfill sites and which create a significant environmental benefit.

About Gloucestershire Environmental Trust
Gloucestershire Environmental Trust Company was set up in September 1997, following Cory Environmental’s purchase of The Waste Company, the local authority waste disposal company (LAWDC) of Gloucestershire County Council. This Trust has an annual budget of £600,000, which can be spent on projects within the county. The Trust has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. During the last ten years it has contributed more than £6,400,000 to local projects. The Gloucestershire Trust has six Trustees who together vet the applications and choose those which most closely meet the criteria. Two of the Trustees are nominated; one by Gloucestershire County Council and one by Cory Environmental. The remaining four Trustees are elected.

About BBC Breathing Places
The BBC Breathing Places campaign aims to encourage local people to create and care for green places where they live and work. A Breathing Place provides an oasis for people and wildlife - somewhere to take time out in a busy day and feel close to nature.

About The Summerfield Trust
The Summerfield Charitable Trust was established by Ronald Summerfield, a Cheltenham antique dealer, shortly before his death in 1989. The Trustees have discretion as to which charitable uses to apply the funds. Charities applying to the Trust must either be based in the county of Gloucestershire or they must be engaged in a project that is of specific benefit to residents of the county.