AN ARCH is set to be developed at Weymouth’s Greenhill Gardens in celebration of the Queen.

The arch is called the Queen Elizabeth II Celebration Arch and will be completed before the end of this year.

It is being developed to celebrate the Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee, which makes her the longest serving monarch in British history.

The arch is in the form of a wave crashing into the garden, and as a result has been nicknamed The Royal Wave.

Barbara Dubben, who is chairman of Friends of Greenhill Gardens (FOGG) said: “We wanted to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen. The town has so far done little to mark her jubilee. The arch is to show how much we appreciate the work she has done for this country.”

It has been designed by an artist, following consultations with residents, and is to be sited at the garden’s entrance on the Esplanade near the Seascape Café.

Mrs Dubben said the development will cost a total of £15,000.

FOGG has managed to raise £10,000 through fundraising efforts including quiz nights and bucket donations, as well as musical events in the gardens throughout the summer.

The group has also welcomed donations from Weymouth Rotary Club, Tesco and Weymouth BID, and has been given a grant of £5,000 from the borough council.

Mrs Dubben said: “I hope it will bring some tourists to the town and create a bit of interest for the gardens.

“We are hoping it will bring a lot of people in.”

Mrs Dubben added that she is ‘over the moon’ that the development is coming to fruition and added that it will be a ‘prestigious’ addition to the gardens.

The arch’s final design was revealed last month at a consultation which was held at Weymouth Bay Methodist Church.

During the consultation, residents were shown the 3D designs for the arch and were able to learn more from fact sheets.

Mrs Dubben said that the majority of people who attended the consultation said they were satisfied with the design.

She added: “Everybody was positive, we had a fact sheet and of those that filled it out, everyone was positive.”