Garden get-togethers with a difference

Garden get-togethers with a difference

St Nicholas’ Gardens is a beautiful area in a prime location in Whitehaven and Whitehaven Town Council have big plans to utilise this space!

St Nicholas Gardens in Whitehaven’s Town Centre has always been a restful place to relax and enjoy a coffee, but in recent years the historic gardens have also become a hub for town centre activities aimed at helping to regenerate the town.

The gardens are the location for the grave of Mildred Gale, George Washington’s Grandmother and also host the towns dedication to the heroes of D-Day.

Whitehaven, along with most regional towns has been hard hit by recession and the problems on the High Street are evident to see which is one of the reasons why the Town Council decided to use the gardens as a focus for public activities.

The hope is that by giving people more reasons to re-visit the town centre, the increasing footfall will encourage more businesses to grow.

The award winning flower beds are looked after by Whitehaven Town Council in partnership with the church and over the last five years, the town council have organised a raft of new events from markets to science shows. The Town Council restarted the Whitehaven Markets just before Covid, housing them in the beautiful gardens, and the same year, they started the annual science show in partnership with Sellafield Ltd.

The gardens have also hosted the town councils annual exhibitions, which in the past have focussed on old photos of the town itself, but this year was dedicated to D-Day, which also saw the tower illuminated in red, white and blue for two evenings.

Last year, a fresh event was added to the calendar with Whitehavens inaugural Flower and Veg show, the first of which saw award-winning giant marrows and home-cooked produce on display and sale.

This year, the Cumbrian Traders Markets have been moved from Fridays to the more traditional Thursday market day and are held on the last Thursday of each month from May until August, with a special Christmas Market on Friday 6th December.

Whitehaven Town Council are looking to expand on their successful events in the gardens over the next few years with some exciting ideas currently being discussed for 2025 and beyond.

www.whitehaventowncouncil.co.uk

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