Mark, what is happening to the crown on the memorial flower bed outside the library? Is it being repaired or renovated? I hope so as it is rather a nice feature of the park.
Hi Barbara, well observed and I'm pleased you like it!
If you read the Friends of Memorial Park Meeting minutes on their web site you will find much more detail including costs etc, but in summary: Yes! The feature was vandalised last year and we have been carrying out repairs and changes over the last couple of months to make it better. You may recall that we installed skate-stops around Christmas time to stop it being abused by skaters.
As part of the vandalism several of the glass jewels were removed and smashed. Today Wayne Chaisty (the original metal art sculptor) and I removed the rest of the jewels and ground off the clasps attaching them from the front. After we've repainted the crown the jewels will be refitted with clasps from the back, which we think will be more secure for the future.
In total repairing the vandalism and addressing the skater issue will have cost us approximately £620. This has come from the community funds raised for planting, so we have put in a Flexibility Funding Grant application to Marple Area Committee for help with this so that we can replenish our planting budget. Worth mentioning to your local councillor that you think they should support this
