Oak trees planted in Padiham park to mark centenary of end of World War One

Handsome oak trees have been planted in a Padiham park to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One.
Mrs Carol Stinton, who is the chairman of the Friends of Memorial Park, plants the trees with her husband, David, who is a Friends' volunteer and their grandson, Lee Stinton who is a team leader with Burnley Council's Recreation and Open Spaces department.Mrs Carol Stinton, who is the chairman of the Friends of Memorial Park, plants the trees with her husband, David, who is a Friends' volunteer and their grandson, Lee Stinton who is a team leader with Burnley Council's Recreation and Open Spaces department.
Mrs Carol Stinton, who is the chairman of the Friends of Memorial Park, plants the trees with her husband, David, who is a Friends' volunteer and their grandson, Lee Stinton who is a team leader with Burnley Council's Recreation and Open Spaces department.

The trees were donated to Memorial Park as part of an initiative by Burnley Council to plant 100 trees in the borough to mark the centenary.

An open spot, close to the park shelters, was chosen for the oak trees that were presented to the Friends of Memorial Park group for planting.

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Chairman Mrs Carol Stinton said: “The trees are around nine feet tall already and will take a few years to be fully grown but they are going to look splendid in the park.

“This is a fantastic way to honour the centenary of the end of the war and we, as a group, were delighted to receive the trees.”

The council’s trees have been planted at several locations across Burnley and Padiham, including schools, churches and parks.

Mrs Stinton hopes that the tree planting will raise awareness of the park and all the facilities it has to offer to Padiham.

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She said: “A lot of people are not even aware where Memorial Park is and this is a shame because so many improvements have been made to it in recent years, it is well worth a visit.”

The Friends’ group has been going strong for around 20 years and is made up entirely of volunteers who work towards keeping the park in tip top condition and making improvements all the time.

In recent years the group has managed to restore and re-open the old tearoom and pavilion cafe in the park and last year the bandstand, that stood for many years in Burnley town centre, was dismantled and brought to Padiham.

Members of the Friends group led the project to bring the bandstand to Padiham.

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Mrs Stinton added: "The bandstand has been a great addition to Memorial Park and it looks like it was made to be there."

It has been used for hosting live music concerts and events which has drawn dozens of visitors to the park.

Mrs Stinton revealed that for 2019 plans are on the cards to apply for funding to restore the park’s air raid shelter.

She said: “We want to fully restore and have it open on certain days so that people can go inside.

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“We also want it to be available for schools to visit so the pupils can experience what it was like to go inside an air raid shelter.”

New members are always welcome to the Friends’ group, which holds regular meetings, and anyone who would like more information is asked to contact Burnley Council on 01282 425011.