C4C Woodlands Garden Trust

Cash For Commandos first project is the Woodlands Garden Trust. Cash For Commandos has raised £4000 for this project.

The Woodlands Garden Project is an ambitious undertaking that seeks to convert a special part of Royal Marines Condor – home of the 800 men of 45 Commando Royal Marines – into a focal point for remembrance and reflection in the Commando. Such a location has traditionally been lacking in the Commando and the project is timely given the operational burden shouldered by the Unit in recent years and the astonishing sacrifice paid by its people. The Commando will likely deploy soon for its fourth tour of Afghanistan since 2002; during the same period its people have also deployed to Iraq. Since 2006 thirteen men of the Commando have been killed in action and many more seriously wounded, a significant number profoundly so. And that is to say nothing of those who are physically unscathed but have seen much they would have chosen not to.

We are determined that Woodlands Garden will become a place for our families and us – and wider friends and supporters of the Commando – to reflect, remember and contemplate. The intention is that it strikes the right balance between sadness and celebration and has an area that is suitable for young children, some of whom have lost their fathers. It will also provide an invaluable tranquil location for those carrying unseen mental scars to decompress and adjust in the aftermath of operational tours.

Woodlands Garden lies ‘behind the wire’ and is roughly in the centre of Royal Marines Condor. Traditionally it was the Commanding Officer’s kitchen garden but – in addition to being an anachronism – it had long since fallen into disrepair. It has now been cleared to reveal a beautiful blank canvas that is rectangular, approximately 65 metres by 45 metres. The garden is surrounded by a high and very attractive Grade B listed Victorian wall.

The project has already aroused considerable interest. Most pleasing of all is that Toby Buckland, the leading horticulturalist and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, has agreed for free to be its designer and project manager. Toby giving his name and time to the idea has turned it from amateur pipe-dream into professional reality. He has now completed his design and returns to the Commando to present it to us today. At the centre of the garden will be a large piece of granite, bequeathed by a local quarry, hewn with the names of all those from the Commando who have been killed in action since it moved to Royal Marines Condor in 1970. Going back to this date is designed to avoid the focus solely being on our time and to demonstrate the inspirational sacrifice made by our forebears in Northern Ireland and the Falklands War.

Angus College is also centrally involved in the project which represents an important link between the Commando and the local community on which it relies so much. The College will use Woodlands Garden as a learning and testing ground for many of its vocational students learning artisan trades. In return the project will benefit from expert student labour which will complement that provided by the men of the Commando, some of which will be done by those recovering from wounds that preclude them from deploying to Afghanistan. It has been legally agreed that Angus College will maintain the garden in perpetuity to mitigate the risk of it falling into disrepair.

The aim is that the project will be complete by October 2011. This will represent timely provision of a place for reflection and contemplation. It will also become the enduring location for medals, Elizabeth Cross and remembrance parades and November ceremonies.

If you would like to donate please visit: www.bmycharity.com.wgt