The Pump Room doors are open again and visitors are being welcomed inside. There is a one way covid safe route and a member of staff will be avilaible to answer questions. Opening times can be found on the website www.pittvillepumproom.org.uk with June dates starting on Friday the 4th. The spa water is not available to drink but visitors will get a 10% discount at the Heritage Cafe. The Cheltenham Competitive Performing Arts Festival is taking place there this month.
The Green Space Volunteers hard at work planting the rockery.
There has been a rockery on the north side of the upper lake in Pittville Park since 1890. It was constructed to resemble the Alps with vertical rocks and very few plants. In 1930 Mr Leuchars, the parks and garden superintendent remodelled the rockery with stone from the quarry on Leckhampton Hill in the style we see today. It was reported in the Gloucestershire Echo in 1933 that he planted it out with a considerable number of alpines and other rockery plants to add floral interest in the park.
Adam Reynolds, the CBC parks manager, with the help of green space volunteers from the Friends of Pittville have been working for the last three years (slowed down by covid) to restore the west end of the rockery to close to its original state.
On 6 May a large planting operation with plants purchased by Cheltenham BC from a local nursery, Hoo House, and some from FoP members, was carried out by volunteers from Friends of Pittville and supervised by landscape architect Linda Thomas.
The Heritage cafe at the Pump Room is open again for takeaways and it is hoped to put back the tables and chairs back very soon in line with covid regulations. So we are hoping we can hold a Drop In at the end of April. The Green Space Volunteers will be back at work, socially distancing in groups of 6, from Thursday 1 April.
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All being well the Green Space volunteers will be able to start work again (in groups of 6) from Thursday 1 April. One of the priority tasks is continuing work on the rockery, which has, sadly, suffered from being used as a play area during lockdown.
The Pump Room cafe will reopen from 8 March for takeaway only but it is planned to put back the tables and chairs on 12 April. So it should be possible to hold a Drop In at the end of April.
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Charity Commission Registration number 1146790
