Project of the Month:

The White Horse, Westbury,
Clean- up for Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

Project Management: Rotary Club of Westbury, Westbury Town Council and Westbury residents.

Project: The White Horse hill figure at Westbury in Wiltshire has been restored to it’s original colour using Keim Royalan by the Rotary Club of Westbury, Westbury Town Council and Westbury residents

The White Horse hill figure at Westbury in Wiltshire has, over a period of time, become so discoloured as a result of algae and other plant growth. The Town Council and residents of Westbury were of the view that the horse should be restored to its rightful colour in time for the Jubilee. The Rotary Club of Westbury also, rather ambitiously, had it on their wish list of Jubilee projects.

But how to achieve the goal?

The White Horse is the responsibility of English Heritage who were approached, but had insufficient funds available for restoration now or in the near future. So a joint venture was set up between the Rotary Club and the Town Council who provided the necessary monies.

Subsequently, a substantial, anonymous donation was made towards the cost of the paint.

Rotarian Steve Carrington formulated a plan for the restoration project which was submitted to both English Heritage and Natural England for approval; the proposed work had to be properly and safely managed and have zero impact on the surrounding environment. A Site of Special Scientific Interest lies directly below the horse.

Volunteers to undertake the work were obtained locally by word of mouth, from within the rotary club, from a local military garrison and by a campaign in the local press.

The horse is cut into the northern escarpment of Salisbury Plain at an angle of about 45 degrees, so volunteers had to work at the end of abseiling ropes. For many this was their first experience of such an activity. Full training was provided free to all volunteers before being allowed to work on the horse.

Stage One of the work, cleaning, was achieved by high pressure water washing and scrubbing brushes. No chemicals were allowed in order to protect the environment. Stage2 , painting, will take 2 weekends, the first already completed. Painting is a two person job, one to paint using a roller and tray, the other to top up the tray with a carefully measured amount of paint. Even with the single coat of paint, the improvement is staggering as shown in the photographs.

Volunteers on the horse are tired at the end of their half day shift, but have given their time willingly and cheerfully and are proud to have been involved with the project. When not actually painting they have to date collected a dozen or so litter sacks full of rubbish from around the site, including the major parts of a tumble dryer

There have been very favourable comments from residents in Westbury and nearby villages. The project has been extensively covered by local newspapers. ITV West Country News and BBC local radio and television have also covered the project.

When first proposed, there were serious doubts about whether the volunteer approach would succeed, and even though there have been difficulties and frustrations along the way, the willingness and dedication of everyone concerned and especially Steve Carrington who has so ably managed the project, has brought about a successful clean-up in time for the Jubilee. The Westbury White Horse now looks exactly as it should.