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Follow on Google News | Toby Buckland Designs Memorial Garden for War HeroesGarden to open when 45 Commando Royal Marines return from 4TH tour of Afghanistan for Remembrance Day 11 of November 2011
By: Toby Buckland Thought to be the first garden of its type, the 65x50m memorial walled garden has been conceived by Toby to help with the loss and injury suffered by serving and former marines of the 45 Commando and their families. The garden design is based on the Globe and Laurel Insignia of the Royal Marines badge. The garden will contain stone cairns from everywhere 45 Commando has served and trained, a physical symbol that links them to the four corners of the globe where they are stationed. On designing the memorial garden for 45 Commando Toby said: "How people grieve is very personal and I have designed a garden intended to have meaning and soul to serve each of the men and their families’ needs.” He adds: “My admiration for our armed forces could not be higher, particularly at this incredibly tough time. As well as a memorial, I hope this garden will become a celebration of the bravery of the men of 45 Commando.” The Woodlands Garden Trust (WGT) has been set up in conjunction with the Royal Marines Association in order to help raise the £150,000 needed to build the garden. Through numerous fundraising efforts 45 Commando has already raised more than £120,000. If the remaining £30,000 can be raised in time, the base hopes to get the garden completed by Remembrance Day 11 of Novemer 2011 when the 45 Commando returns from its 4th tour of Afghanistan. Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Lee MBE RM said: “I am completely delighted that this hugely worthwhile project has gathered so much momentum. It is important that we fully preserve the legacy of this special Commando and Woodlands Garden is an integral part of that. Toby Buckland’s generous involvement has taken the project from amateur pipedream to professional reality and I thank him on behalf of every man in 45 Commando.” As well as designing the garden free-of-charge Toby has recently donated thousands won from a recent appearance on Celebrity Mastermind to the Woodlands Garden Trust. More about the Garden Within the garden there are private areas for contemplation. There is a wheelchair-friendly raised-bed garden where vegetables can be grown by those wounded in action, while for the children the garden has a sense of adventure with a labyrinth of paths, a daffodil-covered knoll and densely planted bamboos in which to play. At the centre of the garden will be a memorial tablet inscribed with the names of all those associated with 45 Commando Group who have died on active service since the unit came to Arbroath in 1971 — the fallen of Northern Ireland, the Falklands and the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. To donate to the garden visit www.bmycharity.com/ # # # About Toby Buckland The author of five gardening books, Toby Buckland is best known for presenting BBC Gardeners’ World. A qualified horticulturist with over twenty years’ experience, Toby’s professional career began as a nurseryman in Devon, followed by a role at Cambridge University Botanical Gardens as Woodlands Supervisor. He is an award-winning designer, taking Gold and Best in Show for his first ever show garden at BBC Gardeners’ World Live in 2008. Toby writes for numerous garden journals and newspapers, including the Guardian and Mail on Sunday. For more information on Toby visit www.tobybuckland.com/ Media Contact Images are available. For more information call Emma on 07956 962539 or email info@tobybuckland.com End
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