Kirkby Stephen garden opened in memory of councillor
A new public garden has been opened in memory of a councillor who championed her community for three decades.The memorial garden in Silver Street in Kirkby Stephen has been dedicated to former councillor Joan Johnstone.She served on Kirkby Stephen Town Council for 30 years and worked as its chair for 11, and died in 2021 aged 73.Her husband Stuart Johnstone officially opened the garden at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and said it was a "special place for a special lady".
"What a wonderful way to remember her and for all the work she did to make this town so special," he said. "[It is] somewhere we and many others can always come and remember her and this beautiful place."
The memorial garden project aimed to create an appealing green space in the heart of the town.The garden's boundary wall was lowered to improve visibility and encourage people to use it. The park area was also extended and new sitting areas were added.It is one of a number of projects made as part of the Kirkby Stephen Town Centre Improvement Scheme, which is being carried out by the town council in partnership with Westmorland and Furness Council.
Councillor Adrian White said the garden was a "fitting tribute" to Mrs Johnstone."It will be a wonderful place for residents and visitors to visit and to enjoy," he said.Kirkby Stephen Town Council chairman Paul Richardson said: "I am proud too that we have had the opportunity to remember my predecessor, Joan Johnstone, who made such a huge contribution to the life of the town by dedicating Silver Street Gardens to her."
Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Huge ‘Jack & the Beanstalk' tree towers over our homes – it's grotesque & irresponsible… but council won't chop it down
A GIANT "Jack and the beanstalk" tree is ruining locals' lives - but the council won't chop it down. Residents in Winchester, Hants, slammed the "grotesquely irresponsible" and "ludicrous" 45 foot high oak. 9 9 9 They say the tree was planted around 50 years ago by a previous homeowner on Canon Street who just "wanted something to do". But now it has branched into an "out of proportion" eyesore which overshadows the gardens of nearby properties - where the average house price is more than £600,000. However, the council have refused to cut it down and placed it under a protection order. The authorities said residents from a neighbouring street "appreciated" the tree. The decision has sparked outrage among locals who are actually dealing with the daily repercussions of such an overwhelming tree. Orla Williams, 40, moved into her terraced Grade II Listed home with her partner around two years ago. The doctor said after moving in, several residents went to her about the oak. She explained: "They were concerned that it is getting very large and that it could cause damage to their properties and potentially harm to people if it gets any larger, so they wanted it to be taken down. "We applied to the council to have it removed and someone came to look at it. "[The tree officer] said that they want to put a tree protection order on it." The mum-of-two also told how an "awful lot of detritus" falls from the tree in autumn and winter. She added: "We appreciate that the tree is beautiful but it's the wrong tree in the wrong place. "It is quite sad to remove something like that but it is only going to get bigger and potentially cause damage to lots of properties which is the main concern. "The council said they were concerned about removing it because it's one of the only trees in the area. 9 9 9 "All of the local residents seem to be of the opinion that unfortunately, it's the wrong tree in the wrong place." According to a council report, the tree officer visited Orla after receiving notice from the couple that it was due to be felled. But he found the tree met the criteria for a provisional protection order, which was issued in February of this year. A Winchester County Council meeting will take place next week to decide whether the tree status will change or not. There are nine residents in total who have objected to the order. Mark Pocock, a retired resident living on Canon Street, slammed the council's decision to protect the tree as "ludicrous". He said: 'As trees grow older they become more brittle. "If it were to fall and damage properties or persons, I would say the responsibility would be entirely with the council – not the owners of those properties. "I think putting a tree protection order on is grotesquely irresponsible of the council. 'It could be a danger to property and life." Nick Goff, 80, said he fears if the tree continues to grow, the roots underneath will damage a medieval wall in his garden, which was built in the Tudor era. The retired British Airways pilot said: "The issue is that in 10 years time, that will be double the height and double the width. 'It put on six feet last year it it's going to put on another six feet this year." He commissioned an independent report from a tree consultancy business. The report stated while the tree, which is still a "teenager" is in "good physiological condition". But the officer also found it is "a large sized tree in a very small area" and so the tree protection order is "unjustified". The report also stated "the possibility of longer term damage to the retaining walls and footings of the adjacent properties as entirely foreseeable". "Some guy planted this as something to do 40 years ago," Mr Goff continued "Now, we have got Jack and the Beanstalk. "It's not a historic tree – it's a silly mistake." However, the council report issued ahead of next week's meeting claimed these concerns were "speculative" and the tree "contributes meaningfully to local biodiversity and visual amenity". It added: "It is also the last significant tree in an area of land between Canon Street and St Swithun's Street, enhancing the character of the conservation area." Retired resident Graham Rule, 62, blasted the decision as "irresponsible". He said: "We all love trees but that shouldn't be there. "The people who want the protection order, they don't live here – its totally irresponsible." Winchester County Council was contacted for comment. 9 9 9
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Telford school given £1.9m for new roof after RAAC found
A school has been given £1.9m for repairs, following the discovery of potentially unstable concrete in its Aerated Autoclave Concrete (RAAC) was found at Donnington Wood Infant and Nursery is one of more than 200 schools in England with the material used between the 1950s and 1900s, which has now been deemed a safety school will stay open while the roof is replaced and children will be taught in temporary classrooms, Telford and Wrekin Council said. RAAC is a lightweight material that was used as a cheaper alternative to standard concrete and was quicker to produce and easier to it is less durable and has a lifespan of around 30 years and it is susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture. The council said Donnington Wood Infant and Nursery School was the only school in its area where RAAC had been said it would take the opportunity to add insulation to the roof at the same time as the replacement councillor responsible for education, Shirley Reynolds, said she expected "some low-level disruption to nearby residents as construction traffic attends the site" and asked nearby residents to "bear with us while we carry out this essential safety work". Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
School unveils war memorial for former pupils killed in wars
A new war memorial dedicated to former pupils killed in combat has been unveiled at a Devon School. The memorial at Plymouth College remembers the almost 200 former pupils who died in conflicts dating back to World War One. After 32 years in the Royal Marines, former pupil Jason Cox, who is now the college's health and safety officer, came up with the said one of the reasons he wanted to create the memorial was to honour his former classmate who was killed in Iraq in 2003. Founded in 1887, the school lost 112 pupils in the First World War and 68 in the Second World other names have been added, including former pupil Maj Jason Ward, who was killed when the US helicopter he was travelling in crashed in the Iraqi desert in 2003. Mr Ward was a pupil at the college at the same time as Mr Cox and they both joined the Royal Marines in to BBC Radio Devon, Mr Cox said: "That's one of the reasons why I've taken this to heart because of Jason."He added: "The wonderful thing is his mother is travelling with his brother down from Barnstaple to attend the ceremony, so she's going to be our guest of honour." Mr Cox said he had the idea for the memorial after seeing that the boards in the school, which showed former pupils who had been killed in combat, were looking "old and faded"."It was only going to be a small granite block with possibly a brass plaque on it with some appropriate wording," he said."It sort of morphed into something a lot larger and a lot bigger and the headmaster decided to include all of the names of all the pupils to put on the plaque." Speaking about the names of the fallen solders from the First World War, Mr Cox said all of the people were "local lads"."If you could imagine 112 lads being taken away from the local community and never seen again - it must have been quite devastating for the city," he said.A ceremony to unveil the memorial attended by members of government and the armed forces was held at the school on Friday.
