12:00pm Friday 23rd March 2012
By Nigel Kerton
The organisers of a Pewsey Vale display that will be part of an exhibition staged for the Queen when she visits Salisbury hope two rare-breed sheep will lure Her Majesty to their stand.
The Queen will visit the exhibition in Cathedral Close on Tuesday May 1 as part of her Diamond Jubilee national tour.
Suzie Brew, lead organiser of the Pewsey presentation told Pewsey Area Board she hoped the two Wiltshire horned sheep from James Reed’s farm at Stanton St Bernard might catch the eye of the Queen as she wanders through the exhibition.
Communities from all over Wiltshire have been invited to take part in the exhibition showcasing tourism attractions, ancient monuments, historical facts and giving an insight into what makes each community tick.
Mrs Brew, a member of Grafton parish council, told the meeting at Burbage village hall that each of the communities selected to take part would be provided with a circular jousting tent for their displays.
She later told the Gazette: “All the parishes in the Pewsey community area have been invited to provide information about significant dates in their history – dates that have significance both locally and nationally – and obviously if they have a royal theme it will be better.”
Examples Mrs Brew gave included Pewsey’s links with King Alfred – there is a statue of him in the centre of the village – and Wolfhall, near Burbage, where King Henry VIII courted Jane Seymour.
“We have also asked each parish to submit details of one significant landmark,” said Mrs Brew.
She said parish council colleague June Pearson would prepare a map of the area showing each parish with small paintings of its major attractions. The map would later be found a permanent home in the district, she said.
All historic dates submitted by the parishes will be included on a timeline banner around the inside of the display tent walls.
Individual displays of Pewsey’s biggest attractions will include Wilton Windmill, Crofton K&A Pumping Station, Pewsey Heritage Centre, Pewsey Carnival, bread from Marshall’s Bakery in Pewsey and the Wiltshire horned sheep.
Mrs Brew said: “Our ploy to try to get the Queen over to our tent will be having these two Wiltshire horned sheep in a pen outside.”
Board chairman Coun Jerry Kunkler thanked Mrs Brew for all the work she and colleagues were putting in and he said: “We have one of the loveliest areas in the country so we must make sure it is well represented."
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