Woodland boards unveiled at Beacon Park

Millie age 5 and Elijah age 3 with Ruth Witczak at the pond dipping board

Millie age 5 and Elijah age 3 with Ruth Witczak at the pond dipping board

This spring, three colourful boards have been installed in Beacon Park’s woodland by Lichfield District Council, to help everyone to find out more about the park’s wildlife.

The first is a woodland habitat board that features photographs of the many of the invertebrates, mammals and birds that have been spotted in the woodland. It also includes interesting facts about animals, such as: ‘Owls can’t move their eyeballs, but can turn their necks up to 270 degrees’.

The second is a sensory board with carvings of plants, leaves, wildflowers, and animal footprints that can be used for crayon rubbings. It also has sliding photograph tiles of insects so children can test their mini-beast identification skills.

Ruth Witczak with the Woodland Habitat board

Ruth Witczak with the Woodland Habitat board

The third board is next to the pond dipping platform along the woodland path. It features an illustrated underwater scene, as well as images and a description of the animals that might be found in the water. It has a stand for trays that can be hired from the park’s Ranger Station next to the crazy golf course. The trays are to collect pond life specimens in so they can be matched to the images of animals on the board. Nets are also available to buy from the Ranger Station.

Councillor Val Richards, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, said: “We hope this beautiful series of information boards will help everyone to look closely at the woodland, and help them to discover more about nature and the wildlife it is home to.”

Historical interpretation boards will also be placed at entrances to Beacon Park later in the spring.

Sensory board

Sensory board

The woodland boards and historical interpretation boards are part of the Lichfield Historic Parks Project, funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund, as part of their Parks for People programme. The Forestry Commission part-funded the woodland boards.

Pond dipping sessions
Beacon Park rangers lead pond dipping sessions for families, community and education groups, as well as private parties. With prices starting from £15 for an hour, the sessions can be booked by calling Ruth Witczak on 01543 308869 or emailing ruth.witczak@lichfielddc.gov.uk.

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Easter trail fun for all the family

Hop down to Beacon Park this Easter to follow a special trail, from Saturday 31 March to Sunday 15 April 2012

If you are stuck for things to do with the little ones this Easter holiday, head to Beacon Park where you can take part in an Easter puzzle trail.

Families can follow their trail map around the park, finding and solving hidden puzzles in the trees, while looking out for the i-spy pictures.

Councillor Val Richards, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, said: “The trail is a great way to entertain your children during the school holidays. It is also a good excuse to get out and about in the fresh air in the beautiful surroundings of Beacon Park. And, you never know, if you go down to Beacon Park on Saturday 31 March, you may well spot the Easter Bunny who will be launching the Easter trail!”

It costs £1 per child to follow the trail, and once they have spotted the clues, they will each get a small prize.

The Easter trails will be available from the Ranger Station (near the crazy golf course) in Beacon Park every day from 9am to 4pm, from Saturday 31 March to Sunday 15 April.

To find out about more events at Beacon Park, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/historicparks

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5,000 bluebells to be planted in Beacon Park’s woodland

People are being asked to make donations to sponsor a bluebell wood at Beacon Park, Lichfield, in what is believed to be the only initiative of its kind in Britain.

The carpet of bluebells is the idea of the Tamworth and Lichfield Committee for Cancer Research UK and is being created in partnership with Lichfield District Council.

The aim is to raise at least £5,000 for CRUK’s Birmingham Institute for Cancer Research, which spends nearly £9 million a year on its lifesaving work.

People can take part in the planting and sponsor the wood from 11am on Sunday 11 March 2012. They can also donate online at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/bluebellwood before or at any time after the event and add their names to a list of donors.

Committee Chair, Kirsty Allen, said: “We want to raise awareness of the fantastic work of the world’s largest cancer charity, which people can support by making donations and have the opportunity to make dedications to loved ones who have been touched by cancer. The bluebell wood will grow each year as the plants multiply.”

Committee members and CRUK’s Midland Action Team will be involved in the planting. A dedication plaque will also be installed next to the bluebell wood.

Councillor Val Richards, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, added: “Beacon Park already has a number of bluebells dotted around, but we’re delighted the woodland will be home to a stunning carpet of bluebells and that this project will help to raise money for an important charity.

“We hope lots of local people join in with the bulb planting, as it will be both a rewarding and fun day. I’m really looking forward to seeing the flowers in bloom and I’m sure it will encourage even more of our park visitors to discover the woodland walk.”

Members of the committee, who come from Lichfield, Burntwood, Tamworth and Cannock, have raised more than £10,000 through a variety of activities since it was formed in September 2009.

Cancer Research UK supports research in all aspects of the disease through the work of more than 4,800 scientists, doctors and nurses across the UK who have contributed to 19 of the top 20 drugs used to treat cancer patients worldwide today.

Anyone who would like to be involved with the committee can contact Kirsty Allen on 07790 837601 or emailtamworthlichfield4cruk@yahoo.co.uk

The nearest car park to the planting site is at Greenhough Road, off Beacon Street, Lichfield (www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/carparkmap).

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Help to build woodland footpaths

Come along to help the Countryside & Parks Conservation Group to create woodland fairy footpaths in Beacon Park’s woodland.

Wednesday 1 February 2012
10.30am to 3pm
Beacon Park

The group will meet outside the Swinfen Broun pavilion

www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/cpcg

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Carols in the Park

Carols in the Park

Carols in the Park

Grab your woolly hats and head to Beacon Park’s Museum Gardens on Saturday 10 December 2011, from 5pm to 6pm, for Carols in the Park

Lichfield District Council is inviting local people to take a break from their Christmas shopping and sing-along to some of their favourite carols, including Ding Dong Merrily on High and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

Councillor Val Richards, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, said: “We are inviting everyone to get into the spirit of Christmas and come to a free carol concert in Beacon Park’s Museum Gardens. Don’t forget to wrap up warm, bring a torch, and your singing voice.”
 
Taking a rest from his busy schedule, Father Christmas will be visiting the park to wish all the carollers a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. 
 
With mince pies and hot drinks and a raffle, the event is sure to get everyone in the festive mood.

For more information about Carols in the Park, please call the park rangers on 01543 308869 or email parks@lichfielddc.gov.uk.

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Christmas crafts in Beacon Park

Get creative and make your very own Christmas treats at craft workshops in Beacon Park on Wednesday 14 and Sunday 18 December

Beacon Park is running a series of workshops so that all the family can get creative this Christmas. Everyone who takes part will get a chance to make festive decorations, gift boxes and handmade cards out of recycled materials.
 
Councillor Val Richards, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, said: “Get in the festive mood by making environmentally friendly crafts at one of our workshops this December. You can make a personalised Christmas decoration to add to your tree, a gift box to make a present extra special, and a handmade card for a loved one.”
 
The crafts workshops will take place in the Swinfen Broun Pavilion, which is in the middle of Beacon Park.  The sessions are open to all ages and are running on Wednesday 14 and Sunday 18 December, between 12 noon and 1.30pm, and between 2pm and 3.30pm.
 
Each workshop costs just £3. Booking is essential, to book your place by calling Lichfield District Council’s parks team on 01543 308869 or by emailing parks@lichfielddc.gov.uk

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Why Captain Smith is in Beacon Park

Captain Smith of the Titanic in Museum Gardens

Captain Smith of the Titanic in Museum Gardens

Recently local councillors have been asked to appear on local radio, local and national tv, as well as in local newspapers about calls made by a Hanley resident who feels passionately that the statue of Captain Smith, which stands proudly in Museum Gardens, should be move to Hanley, the town of Captain Smith’s birth.

Whilst we applaud this passion for Captain Smith’s statue, the council is not considering any proposals to move it anywhere.

Here’s a quick history of how we came to have the statue:

  • The statue has been a key focal point in Museum Gardens for nearly 100 years (since 1914) and is much loved by local people to this day.
  • It was lovingly restored by Lichfield District Council & Lichfield City Council in 2010 as part of the Lichfield Historic Parks project.
  • The call to move the statue of Captain Smith ‘back’ to Hanley is incorrect. The statue was never destined for Stoke. It was designed and made specifically for Lichfield. Lichfield is very proud of the statue and, whilst we understand people in Stoke may wish to have a similar statue to celebrate the life of Captain Smith, we have no intention of considering any proposal to move the statue anywhere.
  • The idea that all statues need to be sited in city in which the subject of the statue was born is unusual to say the least! Just imagine what would happen if Nelson’s column had to be moved to Norfolk, or if the statue of David in the Accademia gallery in Florence had to be moved to ancient Israel, or the Statue of Liberty had to be sent to Rome.
  • The story of the statue began in 1913, when a Mr Stevenson from Suffolk wrote to Lichfield City Council to ask it to find a suitable location for a statue to Captain Smith of the Titanic.
  • Mr Stevenson suggested that as Captain Smith was a Staffordshire man, and that Lichfield was the centre of that diocese, that Lichfield would be the ideal location for the statue.
  • In 1914 Lichfield City Council unanimously agreed to offer a site in the Museum Gardens grounds. A newspaper cutting from the time said: “Captain Smith was a native of Hanley, and a tablet having been placed in the town hall there, Lichfield was selected for the statue as the centre of the dioceses to which he belonged by birth, and as a convenient calling place for visitors travelling between London and Liverpool.”
  • The original cost of the statue was £740 in 1914 and it was raised through local and national contributions which were sent to the Lichfield branch of the National Provincial Bank of England and were used for the statue and for the new Cathedral in Liverpool.
  • Before the statue was erected Lichfield City Council received a petition from 74 local people against the erection of the statue. After a lively debate, this petition was unanimously rejected by Lichfield City Council.
  • The statue was proudly unveiled in 1914, (six days before WWI was declared) in the presence of a large local and distinguished audience, including the Duchess of Sutherland and Lady Kathleen Scott (the sculptress of the statue and widow of Scott of the Antarctic).
  • Kathleen Scott studied under Rodin in Paris.
  • The statue is made of bronze. It stands on a pedestal of Cornish granite. The plaque underneath the statue was fixed by Lichfield stonemasons Robert Bridgeman & Son and shows the pride the city of Lichfield felt for Commander Smith: “Commander Edward John Smith. Born January 27th 1850. Died 15th April 1912. Bequeathing to his countrymen the memory and example of a great heart, a brave life and a heroic death, Be British!”
  • To commemorate the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, we’re working on plans for a range of events, and we’ll be posting details of this to our council website, so keep an eye on www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/titanicevents

We’d very much welcome people from Hanley if they would like to come and help us to mark next year’s centenary.

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More fun in the junior play area

More work has been taking place at the junior play area, which is now fully open and being enjoyed by children visiting the park.

Along with the brand new play ship, the latest enhancements include a wooden fortress, a wooden spiral maze, stepping stones and a roly poly mound. The area has also been grassed.

Take a look at our gallery to see the enhancements:

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Outdoor classroom!

The Countryside and Parks Conservation Group has created an outdoor classroom at Beacon Park

On Wednesday 5 October, the Countryside and Parks Conservation Group spent a successful day creating an outdoor classroom in Beacon Park’s woodland.

This involved making seating areas out of logs, which were cut from the woodland trees, to create an area for schools and local community groups to use.  

Councillor Val Richards, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, said: “The conservation group has done a fantastic job and I hope lots of local schools and community groups use the area.”

If you are interested in using the new outdoor classroom in the park’s woodland, contact Ruth Witczak on 01543 308869 or email ruth.witczak@lichfielddc.gov.uk.

The group, set up to conserve and maintain local parks and green spaces, is now on the look-out for more volunteers to help at its next event, which is being held at Chasewater Country Park on Wednesday 2 November, from 10.30am to 3pm.

Volunteers will spend the day cutting and clearing summer scrub re-growth at the Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI).

This essential maintenance will allow the rare plants on the site to continue to grow without being overshadowed, and provide a habitat for rare heathland animals.

Councillor Neil Roberts, Cabinet Member for Development Services, said: “This conservation event will be a great way to learn new skills and meet other local volunteers, while helping to maintain one of our area’s most important habitats. Please remember to wear sturdy footwear and waterproof clothing.”

If you want to come along, please contact Denice Deverall on 01543 308 183 or email denice.deverall@lichfielddc.gov.uk, to help the team gain an idea on numbers. The group will be meeting at the Heathland Station Cafe on Station Approach Road at 10.30am.

No skills are needed and volunteers will be given full training, but must be over 18 years of age.

For more information about the Countryside and Parks Conservation Group including future events, email denice.deverall@lichfielddc.gov.uk

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Fab events!

Last year's Halloween events in the park!

Last year's Halloween events in the park!

From ‘Seed Gathering Sunday’ to ‘Live ‘n’ Deadly DSI Half  Term Fun!’, there’s loads of events taking place in the park this autumn and winter.

Check out our events page to make sure you don’t miss out!

We look forward to seeing you soon.

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