Eastbourne man restores well at foot of cliffs

Levi Gardner started fixing up the well on March 1 and has since made a number of friends as he discovered how significant the site is.

Mr Gardner said, “I am restoring for all the people that I have met across the years when I was digging it out in previous years.”

The father of four restored the Holywell four years ago but decided to fix it up again.

Mr Gardner said, “I have met people from all over the world that had a connection with this Holywell for all different reasons. Healing, families that had lost children or lost family members that have scattered ashes there.

“I met some people that were quite lost in life and we had some really philosophical talks about life and I just sort of sat with them and spoke to them about nature and how it is so healing.

“It was the people. They were just so thankful and grateful and they just had this connection when they would come and put offerings down where the well is and it just led from there.

“I saw so much love and positivity but I also saw quite a lot of sadness where people came to find some comfort there.”

Mr Gardner also spoke about all the people he had met while sharing his stories from the well.

Mr Gardner said, “I met a lady who is a really good friend now. She was an elderly lady when she came along with her daughter which was four years ago.

“She came and she couldn’t get to the water and she said, ‘Please can you do a water blessing?’ So I did a water blessing and she phoned me that evening and she said, ‘I am so grateful that you did this. I feel so much better.’”

Eastbourne resident Tracy Owen is someone who is thankful for Mr Gardner’s work as she also has a connection with the well.

Ms Owen said, “I was born in Eastbourne and have visited the ‘Holywell’ since being a small child, amazed at water coming out of the chalk cliff face.

“It’s such a strong spiritual link for the local community and folk regularly wander over there for a connection.”

Along with importance of the well in the community, Mr Gardner also spoke about how inspiring it can be for visitors.

Mr Gardner said, “Four years ago there were people coming from Japan, Italy, Spain, they were coming from all different countries and telling me how they remember the well and that is why they were so happy that the well was open when they came.

“I remember a pilgrimage coming over from Lewes and I remember them turning up just as I had finished the well that year and they had done this water blessing and they were so thankful because they had done the walk from Lewes and they were walking back so they wanted to taste the water.”

Mr Gardner also wanted to thank Jake, Sebastian, Harry, Jyff, Akasya, Veronica, Alain, Ruby and the soul tribe family who are helping restore the well.

Mr Gardner said, “It is still an ongoing process. It is looking like a neolithic colosseum at the moment. We have really gone for it.”