by Graham Tutthill

gtutthill@thekmgroup.co.uk

A French woman who fell in love with Dover and its history has brought the community together to beat the drought and bring some colour to the town centre.

Sylvie Parsons, who moved to Dover with her husband Christopher five years ago, is spearheading a campaign, called A Brighter Dover, to provide plants, despite the hosepipe restrictions.

She has been busy enlisting volunteers this week to help with the planting, as well as shopkeepers and business people to keep them watered.

Originally from a village near Boulogne, Mrs Parsons and her husband planned to live in Canterbury but decided to buy a Georgian house in Dover town centre and renovate it.

“I like Dover and all the beautiful old buildings,” she said. “Dover is a fantastic place and it has a lot of history.

“But, like many other people, I was upset when I heard in April that because of the hosepipe ban the town council had to suspend their plans for floral displays in the town centre. I really love flowers.”

Councillors were told by the water company that they could not use the mains water supply and they didn’t have access to any recycled water.

Mrs Parsons, who rents an allotment from the town council, decided to talk to council officers to see what could be done.

“They were very enthusiastic and helped me a lot,” she said. “They made sure we had proper insurance cover, and I then contacted the district council who said they could provide the flowers. On Monday they delivered more than 300 geraniums and helped plant them.”

Mrs Parsons said the scheme showed that community spirit was very much alive in Dover.

For full story see this week's Dover Mercury out on Thursday.

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