Local park renamed to mark Jubilee
A popular play area in the borough has been renamed to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Wallshead Way Play Area in Church Aston was formally renamed as the Queen Elizabeth II Park at a ceremony last week.
Among those who attended the ceremony were Cllr Carolyn Healy who leads on green spaces for Telford & Wrekin Council; Chair of Church Aston Parish Council, Cllr Simon Stacey; Ward Member, Cllr Andrew Eade; and children from Church Aston Infant School.
This is the second site to be formally renamed as part of the council’s rolling programme of renaming civic spaces to recognise and celebrate the enriched local history, geography and connections that have shaped the borough, following the renaming of Hadley Village Green to The John Smart Village Green in March in memory of Parish Councillor John Smart who passed away in 2021 having served his community since 1995.
The project was delivered by Telford & Wrekin Council and jointly funded by Church Aston Parish Council and the ‘Councillor’s Pride Fund’ – an allocation of £10k per year provided by Telford & Wrekin Council to all Ward Members as part of the council’s overall approach to protect, care and invest. Cllr Eade chose to use money from his allocation to contribute to this renaming project.
Cllr Simon Stacey, Chair of Church Aston Parish Council, said:
“When we found out the council were proposing a programme of renaming a number of civic spaces across the borough in honour of important local figures or to mark significant events, we were keen that Church Aston get involved. Parish Councillor Paul Evans proposed that the site be renamed to recognise the Queen as she marks her Platinum Jubilee and we are delighted that local families will be able to enjoy this week’s celebrations while using our new Queen Elizabeth II Park.”
Cllr Carolyn Healy (Labour), Telford & Wrekin Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Green Spaces, Natural and Historic Environment and Cultural Services, said:
“We’re lucky to have so many wonderful green spaces across our borough. This park, now with its great new name, is a real asset to the local community. It’s one of more than 290 of our official ‘green guarantee sites’ – valued local green and open spaces protected by the council against future development. I’d like to thank everyone involved in this project which has helped shine a light on this lovely community space.”
