Memorial bench takes pride of place on green
A new tribute to those who lost their lives in the First World War has taken up pride of place on a County Durham village green.
The memorial bench has been installed at Gilesgate as part of Durham County Council’s Find and Fix environmental programme.
Decorated with artwork depicting poppies and doves, it also bears the words Lest We Forget in honour of those who died.
It has been installed at The Duffy by a Find and Fix team in partnership with the Gilesgate Residents’ Association and funded from the council neighbourhood budget of authority chairman Cllr Katie Corrigan via the Durham Area Action Partnership.
A second bench has been installed at The Duffy, while paths have been cleared and waste and overgrown vegetation removed from Edge Court.
The next stage of the wider project will focus on The Dragon Park. The team will be clearingovergrownvegetation from around artworks in the park, the work of County Durham
artist Graeme Hopper.
Bark chip beds will be installed around the artworks in order that they remain visible and accessible for years to come.
Other works in this area will include repairing street furniture, cleaning graffiti, repairing information boards and giving it a general clean and tidy up.
Cllr Brian Stephens, the council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, said: “Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, our teams continue to be out delivering the services we know residents value and that includes the work done by our Find and Fix teams in ensuring communities are looking their best.”