A true pillar of the local community and lifelong Ferndown resident, Percy Christopher, was remembered at a tree planting ceremony at McCarthy & Stone’s Cherrett Court development this week.
The tree was planted on the site of Percy Christopher’s old front garden, now the grounds of McCarthy & Stone’s new Assisted Living development, by Andy and Christine Palmer, whose idea it was to plant a tree in memory of a very dear friend.
Percy Christopher, who sadly passed away in 1997, was raised in the village by his parents Fred and Hilda, caretakers of the manual telephone exchange in Ferndown.
During WW2, Percy flew Lancaster Bombers as a Navigator for the RAF, and subsequently continued his RAF involvement with the local Air Training Corps. Many years later, he was fundamental in organising a Chinook helicopter to pay a visit to Ferndown, the aircraft belonging to the same 7th Squadron he flew with all those years before.
Mr. Palmer comments: “As a result of this heritage, Percy felt a great sense of pride and commitment to the area and this was epitomised by him forming the Ferndown Historical Society and involvement with Ferndown First School, amongst a number of other local societies.
“He made such a contribution to the local community that it seemed only fitting to remember him in some way. When McCarthy & Stone bought the land where our houses once stood, we approached them to see if we could plant a tree in memory of Percy, and we were delighted when they said we could.”
The tree is now planted in the gardens of Cherrett Court and will be cared for by McCarthy & Stone’s maintenance company and residents living at the development.
See Also: Property News (0), McCarthy & Stone (0), Cherrett Court (0), Ferndown (0)
Date Published: 27 October 2010
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