Stars line up to ‘Pledge to the Edge’

TV gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh, Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell and TV presenters Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen and Esther Rantzen are among a host of star names who have pledged their support to Eden’s campaign for the Edge.

The project is one of four bidding for the Big Lottery Fund’s: The People’s £50m Contest, due to be decided by a TV vote in December.

Survival expert Ray Mears is Eden’s official celebrity champion and will appear in a TV documentary dedicated to the Edge, due to be broadcast on ITV on December 3.

Eden is delighted to announce that other names are already backing their campaign, including Alan Titchmarsh, currently appearing on BBC television in The Nature of Britain and whose hit ITV chat show returns at Christmas.
He said: "I'm a great fan of the Eden Project and I’m fully behind the Edge. I wish Eden the best of luck in the Big Lottery Fund’s: the People’s £50 Million Contest.

“Not only will the Edge expand the project's scope for world-class horticulture but it will be a vitally important place for communities to come together and work towards resolving the great issues of the 21st century, such as water supply, energy and climate change.

“It will also be one of the world's most sustainable and architecturally-spectacular buildings. And it will be another reason to visit one of the world’s great gardens."

Also lending his weight to the Edge campaign is Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, who has a house in Port Isaac, Cornwall, and is a regular visitor to Eden. He said: "The thing about the Edge, the thing about Eden that is really, incredibly important, it's not just a story about Cornwall, it's not just about Britain. It's a story about the whole world. Eden is incredibly important to this planet."

Sally Gunnell, who won gold medals in many major athletics championships including the 400m hurdles gold at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, said: “I want everybody out there to support the Edge.”

Esther Rantzen, founder of the charity ChildLine and presenter of That’s Life!, is a friend of the project and has lent her support to the Edge. She said: “I support the Edge because the Eden Project has created real, practical magic and I’m sure this will enhance the nation’s understanding of everything it stands for.”
Adam Hart-Davis, presenter of the BBC TV series What the Romans Did for Us and Local Heroes, is another famous fan. He said: “I'm delighted to hear about the Edge. A wonderful new building that is going to be part of the Eden Project, devoted to climate change and resources. So, I vote for the Edge!”

Renowned darts player, pundit and actor Bobby George is also cheering on the Edge. He says: “The Edge will be a marvellous new building and sounds like no other place in the country; perfectly designed for families and communities to get involved in something completely different.

“Underground chambers and a huge oasis will create new experiences for people and let kids’ imaginations run wild. As someone who loves the outdoors, and especially lakes and water, the Edge project will be right up my street, I can’t wait for it to happen.”

The Edge represents the next great evolution of Eden. Its scale and ambition will make it an international icon of sustainability, showing that mankind is capable of amazing things.

The building will be a model of cutting-edge architecture and technology, harvesting water and energy from the sun, wind, and rain to show how we all might live in the future. It will be a testament to one-planet living, built to the lowest possible carbon footprint and designed to last. Inside there will be amazing desert, oasis and water gardens on a scale never attempted undercover.

Web voting for the Big Lottery Fund’s: The People’s £50m Contest is due to open on November 26 through www.thepeoples50million.org.uk. Voting by phone is due to take place between December 7 and 10.