Fountain finally restored to Wooler market place

This one will be filled with flowers, but it echoes many elements of the original Wightman memorial fountain in its design, shape and impact.

The project has been coordinated by the Wooler Fountain Restoration Group.

The fountain includes flower decorations, bird nesting boxes at the top, a solar powered watering system and a colour chosen to harmonise with the various shades of stone around it and with the greenery it will hold.

Thanks have been expressed to Mick Fairnington and his sons Michael and Matthew and Catherine Dunn for designing and making the structure, putting it in place and planting it up, as well as everyone else involved in making it happen.

The benches will be sited and flowers planted very soon and the information board put in place eventually.

Wooler Floral Group will look after the containers.

“The new fountain looks very smart,” commented parish council chairman Mark Mather.

However, the parish council insisted that any plans to prune the cherry trees in the vicinity must be carried out with its permission.

“I am not saying they don’t need it but it should be done at the right time of year,” explained Coun Mather.

Meanwhile, the parish council is planning to proceed with a project to thin trees by the riverside and remove shrubs and bushes from the island. A decision on the contractor is still to be made.

Timber from the work will be donated to the Wooler Log Bank, which operates under the auspices of Community Action Northumberland to provide free wood fuel to people in need in north Northumberland.

The parish council has also agreed to take on a supporting role at the community workshop, formerly known as Men in the Shed, which has had financial and management issues in recent months.

Coun Anthony Murray and Coun Robert Donkin will take a closer look at how the group operates and what could be done better and report back in three months’ time.

“We all feel it’s an important asset to the town,” said Coun Mather.

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