Coventry’s Friends of the War Memorial Park Group was established in 2006. The group was formed to help promote, develop and maintain the War Memorial Park, in order to enhance its value to the community, so all can enjoy it. The Friend’s aim to represent the full diversity of users of the Park and are always looking for more members.
Transformation
With the help and funding from Coventry City Council, Heritage and Big Lottery – the Friends have refurbished various areas, transforming the Park including:
- Improvements to the children’s play areas
- The Park has achieved Grade II Listed status for its landscape design interest
- In 2013 the Friends worked closely with Council officers to gain Green Flag status
- Assisted the Parks Team in renovating the German Garden and the Rose Garden, and organised a re-dedication ceremony of the Rose Garden in 2013
- In July 2014 Prince William visited, to declare the War Memorial Park a Centenary Field, the first park in the country to be designated as such
Discovery
The Friends have investigated the history of the Park:
- Discovered the location of the air raid shelter
- Developed a History and Tree Trail (available to purchase)
Current projects
- The Friends are currently working on a project to install a “Green Gym”, which will provide outdoor exercise stations around the Park for all ages and abilities to use
- Working with the Council Education Team in order to hold regular children’s events in the Park, including pony rides, natural history classes and poppy sowing
- Regular social events in the Park, to which everyone is welcome
- Annual Christmas Concert in the Park – the Friends produce their own Christmas cards, calendar and a variety of stationery, badges and other Friends’ mementos, which are for sale in the Visitors Centre
- Reinstate a permanent bandstand in the Park. The Park did have a bandstand many years ago, albeit a temporary structure, but nobody seems to know what happened to it
Follow the Friends of the War Memorial Park Coventry on Facebook for more news.