WESTBURY can once again be proud of its icon, the White Horse, thanks to the local volunteers who have been giving it a much-needed clean.
Planned and co-ordinated by the Rotary Club of Westbury, the project has seen Rotarians and local volunteers abseil down the monument with brushes and steam cleaners, removing the growth that had been giving the horse the title of the ‘grey mare’. It took just one weekend to carry out the clean, with residents in the town and those from much further afield noticing a dramatic difference in the horse’s appearance. The Rotary now hope to paint the horse, but while English Heritage has backed the plans, approval must also be gained from Natural England before any painting can be started. The grubby state of the White Horse has been a talking point across the town for some time, resulting in a drive to get the town’s icon cleaned in time for the Diamond Jubilee. Although the maintenance of the White Horse is the responsibility of English Heritage, the organisation said it did not have the funds or resources to clean or paint the horse. But the town council and area board awarded grants totalling £10,000 towards the project and shortly after Easter, English Heritage gave the Rotary permission to start cleaning the horse. Westbury Mayor cllr David Windess said, “It’s nice to see the White Horse back to its full glory! This is due to the hard work of volunteers and the fantastic efforts of the Westbury Rotarians, with a special thank you to Steve and Katherine Carrington who put in a vast amount of work in organising this.” Cleaning the horse After attending training sessions, volunteers abseiled down the horse and cleaned the monument by scrubbing off growth with hard bristle nylon brushes and using a high heat industrial steam cleaner to transform the horse. The clean was carried out much quicker than anticipated, completed over just one weekend over the 14th-15th April. Following an appeal in the last issue of the White Horse News, the Rotarians said that many volunteers came forward and offered their help in the clean-up operation. Further training sessions were carried out last week in preparation for the next stage of the project. Rotarian Steve Carrington, who has been leading the project said, “From my perspective we wanted to have the horse back for the Jubilee and we have done that. So far this has been a quick process – much quicker than we expected. But the next process [painting the horse] is much more technical and involves several stages. “There’s been co-operation from across the community. The army has given assistance with materials and instruction; Westbury Town Council with the funds which were matched by Wiltshire Council, and then English Heritage and the Rotary. It’s a huge community effort to pull it all together.” Pride in the town’s icon once again Over the past week local people have been delighted to see the horse return to its former glory, and have thanked the volunteers for their efforts. Here are some of the comments people have left on facebook and the town’s online forums: • “It looks brilliant and as it should be, well done to all who helped.” • “It’s a huge transformation, such a shame that it only gets cleaned for special occasions. Well done to everyone who has volunteered!” • “Well done to anyone who improves what was fast becoming a blot on the landscape… it was getting to be something to be not so proud of recently. I love this town and the White Horse is included in that.” • “No longer the ‘Grey Mare’!” • “Well done to the Rotarians.” • “The horse is looking a lot better already. Well done to those involved.” • “Only two days and looks brilliant.” • “I agree it looks great and we can once again be proud of it.” • “I must admit the White Horse looks fantastic. Thank goodness for the Rotarians! Shame on English Heritage.” • “How much have those volunteers saved the town I wonder? I hope the powers that be take them all for a well earned pint!” • “Thank you to all those who volunteered to clean up the old grey mare. You have done a fantastic job, in fact it looks better now than when it was repainted… looks like a labour of love…” • “Blimey what a transformation. Looks great now. The Old Grey Mare no longer.” No funds or resources from English Heritage English Heritage treated the horse to a facelift back in 2006 at a cost of £20,000. But just six years later, the state of the horse has deteriorated again. Earlier this year the White Horse News asked English Heritage to explain why the £20,000 facelift has not stopped the state of the horse from deteriorating so quickly, and was told that this is down to “natural weathering”. English Heritage also explained that, given the relatively recent facelift, they cannot justify the funds or resources to clean the horse again so soon. Cleaned for the Jubilee Westbury has long wanted to have the town’s icon cleaned in time for it to shine over the Diamond Jubilee celebrations from the 2nd-5th June. Part of the celebrations will take part up by the White Horse as the beacon is lit on 4th June, as part of a network of 3,445 beacons throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, along with the Commonwealth and UK overseas territories. The time of the beacon lighting has not yet been confirmed, but will be between 10.15pm and 10.30pm. The White Horse will also feature as part of Westbury’s exhibit at Wiltshire’s Diamond Jubilee event in Salisbury on 1st May. It is hoped that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will attend the event as they are in Salisbury on that day. The White Horse and Westbury’s 150 million year old Jurassic pliosaur will represent Westbury at the event.
