Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘Memorial Gardens are for quiet reflection, not large noisy groups of people’
Council bosses have warned park visitors to show more respect in the town’s Memorial Gardens after large groups were heard playing loud music and seen booting footballs on the grass as temperatures rose.
Ashford Borough Council’s (ABC) Community Safety Unit has been reminding people entering the park that while they are welcome to enjoy the nice weather, the purpose of the park is to remember the fallen of the First and Second World War.
The gardens also contain a separate special garden of remembrance for families of stillborn babies set up by the charity SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal deaths).
ABC Community Safety portfolio holder Cllr Brad Bradford said: “We appreciate that the gardens are a popular meeting place in the summer, and we want people to enjoy them.
“But they should remember that it is an area of quiet reflection and respect, and it is not the place for large noisy groups of people.
“Many people come to these gardens to remember lost loved ones, including the families of stillborn infants, and park is also very close to several residential properties for the elderly. “People are more than welcome to use and enjoy the gardens, we simply ask that they are respectful of its significance.
“North Park and Victoria Park are very close to the town centre and are much more appropriate for people wanting to play ball games or meet larger groups of friends in the sunshine.”