A COMMUNITY space created to honour fallen war heroes from the Great Horton area of Bradford was officially opened yesterday.

Dignitaries gathered outside St Wilfrid’s Church to celebrate the completion of the Lidget Green Memorial Garden project.

The first trees in the garden were planted a year ago, with a dedication plaque also unveiled at the site.

Children from Lidget Green Primary School and Dixons Kings Academy helped with some of the planting, and pupils were again in attendance yesterday, alongside representatives from Bradford Council, the Armed Forces, and the Church of England.

The idea for the garden was conceived by Councillor Joanne Dodds (Lab, Great Horton), who wanted to create a place to remember those from her ward who had been involved or affected by past or current conflicts across the globe.

She said: “It was never about having a monument, it was about shared space, and I’m delighted how people have come on board with this. The land is now protected, and when you think about what it was before, it was fly-tipped and a mess, so to see what we have now is great. When we think about the future possibilities for this site, it is a great community shared space.”

Bradford Council has supported the project by allowing the land to be used as a memorial, and the Fields in Trust charity helped to secure Centenary Field Status for the site, honouring those who lost their lives in the First World War.

The creation of the garden was made possible via a £30,000 donation from Greenmoor Big Local, which aims to bring about positive change for people living and working in the Lidget Green and Scholemoor areas.

Its co-ordinator, Abdul Ismail, said: “It has been a privilege to be a part of this project, and humbling to witness all the help and support that has been received.

“It is hoped that the garden will provide an open public focal point for the wider Greenmoor area and become a tourist attraction for this area of Bradford.”

Members of the Lidget Green Community Partnership, who worked with Cllr Dodds to make the garden a reality, said they hoped the garden would “blossom long into the future” with schoolchildren and community groups coming together at future planting events.

Spokesman Barry Clark said: “The area is at the heart of Lidget Green and it became synonymous with the place. We chose that piece of land to develop the vision Councillor Dodds had. The fact that local schools were involved was very important to us, as they will pass on to their friends how important it is to respect and maintain the garden as a memorial field.

“We believe this is a lasting project that will prove a betterment for the area.”

MORE TOP STORIES