Titchmarsh in town to open new fountain

TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh said a new fountain installed in Ilkley would bring "such life" to the town centre.

The water feature was unveiled at the top of Brook Street, as crowds gathered in the sunny weather.

Installed in 1886, the original Victorian fountain was removed after it was damaged by vandals in the 1960s.

Titchmarsh, who is from Ilkley, said: "This is bringing such life to the top of Brook Street and the centre of the town."

The design was inspired by sphagnum moss which is found on the West Yorkshire moor, well-known for the song it inspired, On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.

The plant - a spongey "bog moss" - holds water and stores carbon, helping to remove it from the atmosphere and permanently store it in peat.

Titchmarsh said the design reflected "the importance of sphagnum moss on the moors and its importance environmentally".

Titchmarsh was born and raised in Ilkley before leaving aged 20 to study horticulture.

"Well I'm old enough to remember the original," Titchmarsh told the BBC.

"Not in a month of summers did I ever imagine the life I've had, the good fortune I've had which started here."

Matthew Ward, a trustee at charity Improving Ilkley and project manager for the installation, said: "This area of Ilkley has been neglected for a number of years."

The original Victorian fountain featured marble horses but was replaced by a flower bed when it was damaged.

"It degraded over time and was just really in a sorry state," Mr Ward said.

Improving Ilkley ran a competition to decide on the design and raised funds to install a new fountain.

Following the installation, Improving Ilkely posted on Facebook: "We're proud to be part of improving Ilkley's public spaces and creating places our community can enjoy for generations to come.

"Here's to green spaces, local pride, and a blooming beautiful future."

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