We wanted to share some progress with you on the Gatekeeper Stone at Portland.
The good news is that Dorset County Council have now granted planning permission for the "green corridor" from the Memory Stones down to the railway line in Tout Quarry, which includes the Gatekeeper Stone.
This means that work can commence in September on clearing the site around the stone to create a supportive environment with seating for visitors as well as a habitat for lizards and hopefully the Gatekeeper Butterfly. This will allow a pause before entering the deep time and fossil record of the quarry, a moment for reflection, inspiration, intuition and imagination.
A grant for match-funding is being submitted to Arts Council England for the area around the Gatekeeper Stone to match the contribution from the Gatekeeper Trust for the stone’s carving. Once this area is prepared, lead sculptor Hannah Sofaer will carve the Gatekeeper Stone into a book of nature incorporating the Gatekeeper butterfly.
The Gatekeeper Trustees hope you will join them to mark this collaborative partnership, combining the educational and creative ethos of both the Gatekeeper Trust and the Portland Sculpture & Quarry Trust in Portland on 17th and 18th August.
After the talks and ceremony on Saturday, you would even have the opportunity to carve your own Gatekeeper butterfly onto a Portland stone plaque to take back to your landscape. A choice of activities is offered, on the Sunday, including walks to sacred sites, to see the butterflies of Portland (to which Gatekeeper butterflies have recently returned), and to view the art and sculptures carved in Tout Quarry.
For full programme details and booking link, see
https://gatekeeper.org.uk/events/portland-memory-stones-weekend/
Gatekeeper Trustees