British Garden’s 2009 Annual Report

January 4th, 2010 | Post Author: Bill Jones
BRITISH GARDEN ACTIVITIES, 2009
Maintenance
The British Garden Sponsoring Organization worked in the Garden, once a week, from late March through to early December.  Workers ranged from 1 to 4 members at a time.  Some new volunteers provided invaluable assistance.  The perennial flower beds were weeded and tidied, hedges were trimmed and fallen branches were gathered into piles for pick-up by City maintenance workers.
Much appreciated assistance was received on CWRU Volunteer Day when a group of students helped with clearance of overgrown vegetation around the steps, descending from East Blvd. to MLK Jr Dr.
Restoration, Recently Completed, 2001-2009
The British Garden Sponsoring Organization:
1)  financed the cleaning of the bronze Shakespeare Bust and its re-installation on the pedestal in the British Garden
2)  financed the repair of brickwork on the dais and pillars
3)  worked with a professional gardener to develop two new perennial flower beds
4)  financed the installation of a new sprinkler system for the new flower beds
5)  financed the repair of the wrought-iron arch and lantern above the Marie Bruot Gate.
The Garden Club of Cleveland generously financed:
1)  the cleaning of the Marie Bruot Gate stone pillars
2)  the installation of new shrubbery around the Marie Bruot Gate.
The British Garden Sponsoring Organization is most grateful for the matching grants from the Holden Parks Trust Fund, for each of the projects, listed above.
Events
A celebration of the restoration of the Marie Bruot Gate was held on August 24, 2008.  The program included:
1)  a history of the Marie Bruot Gate
2)  recognition of donors
3)  Shakespeare recital by the winner of the 2008 High School Shakespeare Competition, organized by the English-Speaking Union, Cleveland Branch
4)  an additional Shakespeare reading, with reference to the flowers in the British Garden.
A number of events were held on the same afternoon:  Rock and Roll along MLK Jr. Dr., a celebration of restoration in the Hungarian Garden, the British Garden and the Italian Garden.
Publicity
The British Garden delegate:
1)  was interviewed by CSU for the British Garden audio section on the Cleveland Cultural Gardens website
2)  has spoken a number of times about the British Garden on the British/Irish Hour, 90.3 FM
3)  organized a course of six lectures on all the Gardens at Baldwin College East, ILR
4)  has spoken to a number of groups about the British Garden and all the Gardens.
The Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation is very grateful to CSU for setting up and maintaining the CCG website.
Restoration Plans, 2010-2016
The British Garden will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2016.  In December 2009, the British Garden delegate met with representatives of the British community in Cleveland, with the goal of fund-raising for on-going restoration of the Garden.  Plans discussed included:
1)  restoration of the brick dais and pillars
2)  restoration of cracked pavement
3)  restoration of the Mantell Sundial and two boulder plaques
4)  maintenance of flower beds, hedges, dedicated trees, steps down to the MLK area and the Marie Bruot Gate
5)  financing additional busts of acclaimed British writers, musicians, scientists and philosophers.
Submitted by
Mary Hamlin
British Garden Delegate

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