Company steps in to save local monument

AN ANCIENT landmark may get a crucial survey carried out free of charge by an international company.

Francis Gomme, chairman of the Risborough Countryside Group, said this week that negotiations are going well between themselves, Bucks County Council and a structural engineering firm who want to help restore Whiteleaf Cross.

He said: "An international engineering consultancy have offered to carry out a free initial structural survey on the cross."

"Getting accurate information about the extent of erosion around the site will help us in making bids for funding from lottery and heritage sources in the future."

The company does not wish to be named until negotiations are complete, but details of the survey should be revealed next month.

The earliest recorded reference to the cross appears in a text which dates back to the early 1700s.

Francis said: "Whiteleaf Cross is the most significant chalk cross on the Chilterns. It's terribly important to restore it as we approach the millennium."

Restoration of the cross is one of the principal aims of the The Risborough Countryside Group which was formed earlier this year to take an active interest in environmental projects around Princes Risborough

Francis said: "People in Risborough have been talking about this for many years. Soon we'll know what the situation is at the site and be able to get some idea of what exactly should be done."

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