Issue - meetings

Coalville Memorial Stones Presentation

Councillor A V Smith referred to the dedication of two memorial stones on Sunday 22 June 2014 in Memorial Square, Coalville, commemorating the men and women who had lost their lives whilst serving in the armed forces since 1945.  She stated that inscribed on the stones at the time of the dedication were the names of four local men, some of whom had not been formally remembered locally since they passed away.  She added that it had taken months of hard work, dedication, sensitivity and generosity to make this unique project a reality.  The new memorial stones have made it possible for these Leicestershire men to be remembered in their local town, and have given the families and friends of these men a local memorial for their loved ones.

Councillor A V Smith stated that as Deputy Leader and Armed Forces Champion for the council, it gave her great pleasure to formally thank three members of the working group for their part in creating the new memorial stones in Coalville, and to present each of them with a commemorative photo album.  She also paid tribute to the contributions made by the late Pete Baker, who was also a member of the working group.

Councillor A V Smith presented commemorative photo albums to local historian Michael Kendrick, who provided invaluable knowledge of the history of the area, and enthusiasm for the project; Des Starbuck, a member of the original working group that worked on the memorial tower, who had been a driving force for the project with his knowledge and enthusiasm; and Jim Rowlinson, Chairman of the North West Leicestershire group of the Royal British Legion, who worked for months to form links with the families of those men whose names appear on the stones, and to steer the project.

The members of the working group commended the support of the Chief Executive in respect of this project, and the support given by the Council to the Royal British Legion throughout the year.

The Chairman added that the work of the Royal British Legion with the Council had enabled the Remembrance Service to take place over the weekend, which had been attended by over 4,000 people.  He commended the efforts of all those involved.

Heritage Presentation

Councillor R Blunt stated that he had had the pleasure of attending an English Heritage conference on 9 October called ‘revealing the appeal’ which was held in Coalville.  He added that the conference had opened a lot of eyes not only to the contribution of heritage in town centres, but also to Coalville and to the regeneration of town centres.  He explained that the conference had received an excellent presentation from the Council’s former Conservation Officer, Ramona Usher, on the history of Coalville, which really underlined the reason why a Conservation area had been designated in Coalville.  He added that Coalville had pride of place in North West Leicestershire and has a very rich heritage and history that as the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38