Written by Robert MacNaughton
On Wednesday September 25th the High Sheriff of Wiltshire came to visit the Friends of the Marden Valley.
 |
| Here I am on the right with Andrew Jones on the left, the High Sheriff, Dr Olivia Chapple next to him and Tim Havenith next to her. |
Olivia is the founder of Horatio’s Gardens named after her son who was killed by a polar bear in Svalbard in 2011 whilst on a school trip. I remember reading about his death at the time, and being deeply touched by it. I never guessed I’d meet his mother 13 years later.
Olivia is married to a spinal injuries surgeon. She is a great believer in the healing powers of nature. She has now found ways to fund eight Horatio's Gardens in spinal units in various hospitals to help patients regenerate themselves after surgery. She has even designed a Horatio garden at the Chelsea flower show which won first prize for emphasising accessibility for less able bodied visitors.
Her role as High Sheriff is to liaise with the police, and the judiciary. By chance when we were taking Olivia to visit the River in our local park we came across a group of police with metal detectors looking for any weapons or objects that could be used threateningly.
The police team are from Warminster with exception of Nicole, on the left, who is a part of the Calne policing team.
I was glad to meet Olivia. She said she would come to our next River Blessing in November.