It is probably appropriate to give an update on where we are at with the restoration.

The garden is all but completed, with the only items to come being the autumn planting of bulbs.

The seats are painted and in place, with the grass around them needing to grow.

The plinth is in place with a temporary sign attached. We have noticed that a lot of people are reading the sign, so the knowledge of what the labyrinth is is expanding.

The plastering is well underway, with the team from Building Services now getting behind the project in their own time after work hours. We were going to do some more this week, but instead have decided to pick it up again in the new year.

The grinding, which seems to indeed be a grind, is slowly happening. As the plastering is completed there will be ongoing work in this area to blend the old and new plaster together.

The retiling is also proceeding well. Peter Halford and Maureen Crisp have been working away at this and all the small repairs are now complete. The centre area around the rosette presents the biggest challenge, but is also most interesting and satisfying part to do. It will require us to have the old pieces placed on the ground as patterns which we will copy as best we can. Volunteers are keenly sought to help complete this work.

The grouting of the tiles also needs to start happening. I will get the grout to Peter who will potter away at this.

The rosette in the centre needs restoration. I am toying with the idea of asking a professional wood restorer to donate his services - given that it would be a high profile job which could gain him publicity. Otherwise we will do it ourselves - cleaning, sanding and oiling.

The plaques will be ordered in the new year.

When all the surface work is complete, the whole labyrinth will be cleaned and a special sealer will be applied. This should result in a more uniform colour over the whole of the plaster.

I suspect that all the above will be finished about 10 minutes before opening time on Sunday 1st March.

So we will really be pushing it to have it ready, and any help that we can get in the new year will be greatly appreciated.

By the way - some of us have decided to work off a bit of the Christmas cheer by turning up on Sat 27th December to put in some more time. See you there?

At any rate, thanks for all your help over the year - the end is in sight. See the attached photo of how it looks as of today.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Cheers, Max