England captain Vickery throws his weight behind the Edge

Phil Vickery, captain of the England rugby union team and one of the most famous Cornishmen of all time, is pledging to the Eden Project’s new building, the Edge.

The Edge is one of four projects competing in the Big Lottery Fund’s: the People’s £50 Million Contest. It will be a visionary new building meeting the challenges of climate change. Its scale and ambition will make it an international icon of sustainability.

The winning project will be decided by a public vote. Internet voting is now open at www.edenproject.com/vote and phone voting is due to take place between December 7 and 10.

Phil said: “Come on the Edge! As a Cornishman I am proud to support the Eden Project in their bid to create what will be a fantastic new building dedicated to combating climate change and resource shortages; showing the world how we can all live in a sustainable way.

“Eden is one of the UK’s top visitor attractions and brings millions of visitors into my home county. It has become a world famous venue and is a great economic resource for the local community, Cornwall and our country!

“Vote the Edge! The Edge will bring even more visitors all year round, and will create many more jobs as we work towards a better future. A winning result!”

Phil, who played for Cornish clubs Bude and Redruth before leaving the county for Gloucester and then moving to his current club London Wasps, was an integral part of England’s World Cup-winning side in 2003. He also captained the team to the final in the 2007 tournament.

Phil, who is nicknamed the Raging Bull, is recognised as one of the finest front row forwards in the world and has won 59 England caps since his debut in 1998. In 2004 he was awarded, along with the rest of the victorious England squad of 2003, with an MBE by the Queen.

Also supporting the Edge are gardening expert Charlie Dimmock and television presenter Philippa Forrester.

Charlie said: "I have been a big supporter of Eden ever since I first visited in 2000 and I think the Edge would be a fantastic addition to an already breathtaking project. The gardens are beautiful and the sheer scale of Eden has always amazed me but most important is the way in which it brings the world of plants to life in a new and exciting way.

"Eden has a knack for communicating serious environmental issues in a way that everyone, most importantly children and young people, can understand. As the world faces global challenges such as climate change and shortages of water, food and energy, the Edge will be an ideal focal point for conversations about how we as human beings can deal with them."

Philippa said: "There is no question about whether ideas at Eden work, they work. People come here and people are inspired and the Edge is a concept that can take us into the future... To me this is a no-brainer, Eden is the perfect place for us to come together, to think, to communicate and most importantly a place for everyone."

Phil, Charlie and Philippa join a growing list of supporters for the Edge including celebrities Ray Mears, Alan Titchmarsh and Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. Also getting behind Eden are the United Nations, Oxfam, Christian Aid and WaterAid.

The Edge represents the next great phase at Eden. 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.

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.

A series of television programmes on each of the projects competing for the Big Lottery Fund’s: the People’s £50 Million Contest begins after the evening news on ITV1 tomorrow (Monday December 3) with Ray Mears championing the Edge.