[T]he organisers of a civic ceremony to mark the reopening of a public park say it will also be a fun event for all the family.
Nobles Rest in Kendal was closed for six months to allow work on new drainage and pathways as part of a community-led enhancement project
With the first phase completed, a formal reopening celebration is to be combined with music and fun for all the family on the afternoon of Sunday 2 September.
South Lakeland District Council (SLDC), which is working in partnership with the Friends of Nobles Rest, Kendal Town Council, Kendal Civic Society and other groups to improve the park, says it is only fitting that local families are invited to the reopening.
Councillor Dyan Jones, SLDC’s Portfolio Holder for Environment, said: “We’d like to invite as many families as possible to bring along a picnic, relax and enjoy a couple of hours of fun, music and games to help celebrate the restoration work and the reopening of Nobles Rest.
“This will mark completion of the first phase of the work and members of the public will be delighted to see what has already been achieved on their behalf.
“Nobles Rest was donated to the public as a sanctuary of rest for the aged and a play area for small children to enjoy and we are delighted that it is now being restored for future generations to enjoy.”
The family event will be held between 3pm and 5pm on Sunday 2 September during which the Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Claire Hensman, will officially reopen the park supported by representatives from the many local groups and organisations involved in its restoration.
Live music will be provided by the popular ukulele band Un Tethered.
Money from SLDC, including a grant from the council’s Locally Important Projects (LIPs) fund, enabled a contract to be awarded for almost £220,000 to lay more than one thousand metres of new drainage and 1,500 metres of footpath in Nobles Rest.
More than 4,000 square metres of turf has also been laid.
Trees were thinned and 18 felled with Forestry Commission approval to enable the natural regeneration of the woodland. This allows more natural light to reach the woodland floor, supporting the development of younger and middle-aged trees.
Contractors faced a number of challenges including extremes of weather; heavy rain and snow followed by weeks of sweltering sunshine.
Kendal Town Council is paying £15,000 for a new path at Town View Field and £2,000 has been donated through the Tesco Bags of Help project.
The park, which is located at the end of Maude Street, was donated to the public by Mary Ellen Noble in 1929. It was created to commemorate her husband, local surgeon Samuel Clarke Noble.
