The Peace Garden

There are 2 benches for Sri Chimnoy - one to commemorate when he visited Ipswich and the Peace Garden in 1987 and another after his death in 2007. One is inscribed with 'A Dreamer of World Peace'. There Sri Chimnoy centre in Ipswich and a statue to him in Chantry Park

Nearby is a bench to Christopher James Jefferson who died aged only 40. It is inscribed  Ipswich - Rest in Peace  - Cambodia. I have discovered a press article 3 years before his death, about how he was caught up in an armed siege Cambodia.

Finally a bench erected in 2003 to show the close bonds with our twinned town of Arras. I was lucky enough to visit Arras last week as part of my First World War Battlefields tour. I went down the Wellington Quarry chalk mines under the town and learnt about the Suffolk Battalions role in the Battle of Arras 1917.

 This is where several thousand of men had to stay underground for several days before being given the order to attack.

The Sensory Garden

In 2012 part of the Arboretum was transformed into a sensory garden with the help of the Papworth Trust and its volunteers. With Lavender and other strong smelling plants, it provides stimulus for sight impaired people and also encourages butterflies to the area! This bench commemorates its opening,

The next bench is for Marc Downing who was tragically killed at the age of only 22 whilst on holiday by a hit and run driver . It has the lovely inscription "Music is the Language of the World" along the seat.

The third seat in this area is to remember Tony Warren - is this Tony Warren who played the flute and was involved in the Suffolk Concert Band?