Published: Friday, 2nd September 2022

Dear friends,

We hope you’ve been able to enjoy the sunshine over the past couple of weeks and for those that have been able to take some time off, we hope you’ve enjoyed a peaceful and restful time away from the screens!

With the atmosphere and excitement of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games still buzzing in the air, our teams are now busy preparing for the next slate of exciting events coming-up that takes us into – yes, we’re going to mention the word… the Christmas season. If you’re planning ahead, details of what’s happening in our area are now available on our events page.

Speaking of events, the popular EcoFest returns to Leamington’s village green, the Pump Room Gardens, tomorrow from 10am to 5pm. Celebrating everything Eco this popular event offers a range of stalls from local charities and businesses, intriguing talks on a whole host of sustainable subjects, have-a-go activities provided by the Leamington Spa Primary Care Network, food, drink and music on the bandstand, there’s something for everyone.

EcoFest supports our ambitious climate change action programme to make South Warwickshire a low carbon area by 2030. Please do come along, engage with the activities, join in the conversation, and who knows, you might take an idea home that will make a positive difference to our shared efforts to address the climate emergency.

We were delighted to visit the Lord Leycester Hospital to gain a first-hand view of the £4.5m restoration and conservation project getting underway, learning more about the significant long-term benefits this investment will generate for Warwick.

The project also includes improvements to the remaining section of the Warwick town wall that once encompassed the whole of the town centre. We were especially pleased to see that the early leadership role taken by this Council, has encouraged other funders to also invest in this innovative scheme.

Elsewhere this week:

  • Green Flag Awards. Our Green Spaces team are celebrating the news that some of the District’s most popular parks & open spaces are once again recipients of the prestigious Green Flag Award, the international quality mark for parks. This year the Pump Room Gardens joins Crackley Wood, Oakley Wood, Jephson Gardens & Mill Gardens in receiving the award, on top of the Green Heritage Site Accreditation for good conservation standards and the maintenance of prominent historic features, such as the Victorian bandstand.
    • Jephson Gardens has also received a Local Favourite Park award from the Fields in Trust, one of only eight parks in the entire West Midlands to receive it. The award demonstrates our commitment to our parks and open spaces, and our thanks go to our Green Spaces team and contractors who work hard to make our parks a welcome space for visitors all year round.
  • Bowls National Finals. Hot off the success and celebration of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games comes the Bowls National Finals to Victoria Park. The greens are busy with games being played right up until 11 September, so there’s plenty of opportunity to grab a ticket.
  • Heritage Open Days. The annual celebration of our local historic buildings and places starts next week, on 9 September. Over 30 venues are taking part, offering the opportunity to explore hidden spaces and discover the secrets of these special sites, which are not normally open to the public. Details are available to plan your very own heritage exploration programme.
  • Medieval finds at Abbey Fields. In preparation for the development of Kenilworth’s new, multi-million-pound, state-of-the-art swimming facilities, archaeological investigations have unearthed a section of an ancient wall, believed to be part of a water mill, which stood on the site in medieval times. Experts from Historic England, Archaeology Warwickshire have teamed-up with local historians to analyse the discovery and advise on how the new design can be sympathetically updated.

And finally… we were delighted to see a happy ending to the sad story of fish dying at Abbey Fields lake earlier this month, due to the hot weather. Officers and Councillors worked closely with the Environment Agency to secure the necessary permissions to move the remaining fish from the lake and rehouse them at a local fishery.

More than 650 fish were saved, and we’re now looking to meet with local representatives to discuss the future management of the lake, which forms part of our Abbey Fields Management Plan.

Keep smiling and stay safe.

Cllr Andrew Day
Leader, Warwick District Council

Chris Elliott
Chief Executive, Warwick District Council

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