Holm Plantation - John Dolan Memorial Concert 3                                                       1 June 2008

Saint Matthew's Academy Band from Saltcoats plays at a concert dedicated to the memory of John Dolan (1922-2007).
John was the President of Friends of the Plantation and a major force in the renovation of the Holm Plantation.
A profile of John Dolan can be seen on the website of the Church of Saint Peter in Chains.

The Holm Plantation was previously known as Holm Wood but is referred to most commonly as 'The Plantation'. Holm means low flat land near a river or burn and a plantation is a group of cultivated trees or plants. In 1805, Holm Wood was gifted by the Earls of Eglinton to the residents of Ardrossan and Saltcoats as a place of relaxation and enjoyment. Prior to that, it was a dark forest. In November 2002, a group called Friends of the Plantation was founded with the mission of 'restoring and maintaining this area of natural beauty for the benefit and enjoyment of the entire community and visitors to North Ayrshire'. In mid 2004, Friends of the Plantation secured £10000 from Landfill Tax Credits to fund regeneration of the Plantation. Other involved parties include North Ayrshire Council, Strathclyde Police and the Scottish Executive. Improvements included drainage, landscaping, lighting, closed circuit television and signs. In October 2005, construction work started on three pods each fifteen metres in diameter. These have been planted with shrubs and bushes to form a past garden, a present garden and a future garden.