Article Published in the St Mary's Pirton Magazine
August/September 2003
Included with the kind permission of the
Editor, Derek Jarrett
“We might not be quick, but we get there in the end!” - By Jonty Wild (Pumpkin Club)
Select any picture to enlarge the image
I
refer to the work associated with the renovation of the “apron” area of the
Blacksmith’s pond. It has taken us a few years so many will not remember how
unattractive that area was - it used be an area of poor quality concrete which
was badly fretting and breaking up.
The Pumpkin Club had undertaken repairs of the island in 1994, but within a year or two the pond itself was looking very sad.
Then
the Parish Council organised the clearance of 30 years’ worth of silt, uneaten
bread and duck waste and the general rejuvenation of the pond, (the Pumpkin Club
also helped in some of this work) and within a couple of years it really started
to look like the sort of beautiful pond that the Village really deserves.
A
few years ago the Pumpkin Club received a generous bequest from Les Smith and
then a little later generous donations by friends and relatives following the
death of Alan Wilsher. We wanted to use this money for a specific project, which
would allow the generosity to be permanently remembered.
The remaining unattractive area of the pond seemed like the ideal project. It began late in 2001 with the replacement of the old concrete with granite setts and was then followed with the installation of an edge rail and the mounting of the pond information sign provided by the Parish Council.
It was always our intention to erect a bench seat and our slow search for the right one took rather a long time, but was finally erected in July with the inscription:
“In memory of Les Smith and Alan Wilsher – Pumpkin Club 2003”
So we are pleased to say that the ongoing saga of the Pumpkin Club’s renovation of the “apron” area of the Blacksmith’s pond has now been concluded with the installation of the bench seat.
We are very pleased with the finished work and hope that you agree that it
looks good and will enable villagers and visitors alike to sit and quietly
contemplate one of the best views in the Village.
Already we have been gratified to see so many residents and visitors to
Pirton sitting and enjoying the new seat and the beautiful view.
Les Smith
Retired to Pirton and lived opposite the pond. He was a member and
particularly enjoyed the Pumpkin Club’s pensioners’ yearly party.
Alan Wilsher
Was Pirton born and bred and worked all his life on Walnut Tree Farm.
Of course the work doesn’t necessarily end there and in August, with the help of some volunteers (thanks Darren Simmons, Toni, Jez and their boat), we cleared out a lot of branches that had accumulated.
