Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, has warmly welcomed the establishment of a memorial garden in honour of Margaret Thatcher at North London Hospice in Woodside Park. Ms Villiers attended the formal opening of the garden at the weekend by Mike Freer MP and Harvey Thomas. Mr Thomas was Mrs Thatcher’s Director of Communications and is now a resident of High Barnet.
The idea for the memorial garden came from Derek and Tessa Philips. As members of the Finchley Conservatives, Derek and Tessa gave many years of support and help to Mrs Thatcher and they wanted to establish a fitting reminder of her devoted work for her Finchley constituency. They raised £32,000 for the project.
The speeches from Mike Freer and Harvey Thomas focused on Mrs Thatcher’s dedication to her constituency duties, even at times of great pressure on her as a Prime Minister at the centre of momentous world events. As part of the opening ceremony, a rose bush was planted in her honour.
Following the opening, Ms Villiers said: “It was a privilege to be present for the opening of a memorial garden at North London Hospice today in honour of Margaret Thatcher.
Lady Thatcher was a great supporter of the hospice and played an important role in getting it set up. I warmly welcome the fact that a number of her old friends from the Finchley Conservatives have come together to raise money to create this beautiful garden.
Parts of my Chipping Barnet constituency used to be in her Finchley seat, including Woodside Avenue where the hospice is located. It is a great honour for me to be her successor in representing this area. I hope the garden will be a source of comfort to hospice patients and their families for many years to come.”