A poignant commemoration held against the backdrop of Gedling Country Park is just one of the events being planned in Gedling borough to mark 100 years since the end of the Great War.
Gedling Borough Council is planning a series of commemorative events throughout November, culminating in a beacon lighting at Gedling Country Park.
These include Remembrance Services, parades, local history exhibitions and family events throughout the borough.
Last year the council announced plans to increase support for Remembrance Services and since then, has helped fund and maintain a new War Memorial in Carlton, installed metal remembrance Tommy soldiers at Gedling Country Park and Arnot Hill Park, and also provided £10,000 towards the Nottinghamshire WWI Centenary Memorial.
The council has organised a weekend of events starting on Saturday 10 November at 11am with a Remembrance Event held at the Civic Centre, Arnot Hill Park, Arnold.
The event includes choirs, brass bands, memorabilia displays, including local resident’s personal collections, performances from local school children and arts and craft activities organised by Gedling Play Forum, such as making a poppy for every name on the Arnot Hill Park War Memorial. The event is free for anyone to attend and includes something for all ages.
On Remembrance Sunday at 7pm there will be a beacon lighting event at Gedling Country Park which is part of nationwide beacon lightings. Members of the public are invited to walk through the park, along a pathway that the council will be lighting for the event, to the beacon for the lighting, which will be followed at 7.05pm by local churches ringing their bells as part of nationwide “ringing out for peace” tributes.
The council has also produced a World War One booklet which includes information on a number of events taking place throughout the borough, including those organised by local groups as well as the council. The booklet is also available to view online at www.gedling.gov.uk/ww1 along with a list of the events taking place which will be updated as more are announced.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said: “There’s a whole range of things happening throughout the borough to mark this incredibly important anniversary. The events are suitable for anyone to attend as well as a great opportunity for inter-generational activities, such as a poppy making activity at the Civic Centre Remembrance Event.
“The beacon lighting at Gedling Country Park will be something very special to see, it really will make quite an impact when it’s lit. Last year we announced we would be increasing our support of remembrance events, and the work that’s been carried out this year is a clear reflection of that.”
