SENIOR councillors have approved putting funds forward to create a “lasting memorial” to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

A drinking fountain is set to be installed on the footway at the junction of Castle Hill and High Street, near the Queen Victoria statue in Windsor, after the cabinet decided the Royal Borough Council will fund the remaining £40,000.

Slough Observer: CGI of what the drinking fountain could look likeCGI of what the drinking fountain could look like (Image: RBWM)

The fountain is to mark the Queen’s legacy and the Platinum Jubilee, which celebrated her 70-year reign on the throne.

Windsor was busy as ever and saw tens of thousands of people flocked to the town to celebrate the historic milestone throughout the jubilee. The same outpouring of crowds flooding to Windsor was also witnessed when the UK’s longest-serving monarch sadly passed away, aged 96 earlier this year.

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The Windsor Platinum Jubilee Committee, which was formed in 2021 to create a programme of events for the celebration, managed to raise £224,000 to fund the design, manufacture, and installation of the fountain. It also covers the maintenance fees for the first three years.

However, the committee is about £40,000 short of fully paying the fountain off and needed the council to pay off the remaining sum of money.

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Cllr Gurpreet Bhangra (Con: Boyn Hill), lead member for environmental services, said: “It is an important feature for Windsor and for residents and visiting tourists to enjoy.”

Meanwhile, council leader Andrew Johnson (Con: Hurley & Walthams) said the fountain will create a “lasting memorial” to the late Queen.

Senior councillors approved the funding at a cabinet meeting held on Thursday, December 15.