Some good news!
Howle Hill Memorial Garden Project Working Group is delighted to announce the National Lottery Community Fund has awarded our project £13,733 to turn a former scalpings area into a memorial garden. Funds are going into the Walford Parish Council bank account over the next few days and the garden being completed by November 2024 – in time for Remembrance Sunday!
The project will transform a neglected and overgrown site next to the old bus stop into a new Memorial Garden, honouring brave residents who lost their lives fighting for their country and be a place for others to remember friends and neighbours who have passed away. As part of the plan, the present war memorial stone will be placed in a more fitting position inside a beautifully tended garden maintained by local residents.
The village no longer has a public space (pub, post office, church) so the garden will be used to hold social gatherings by residents from Howle Hill and those from local hamlets. Families who have moved away from the village (but have a deep connection to the local area) will be able to park their vehicles safely and explore the local area. It will also provide a much needed a picnic area for visitors and tourists to enjoy.
The garden is ‘greening up’ a piece of highway and sits under the aegis of Walford Parish Council which has agreed and signed licences with Herefordshire Council to cultivate and maintain the site – providing bio-diversity net gain and mitigating surface run off into the River Wye.
Our project is funded by National Lottery Community Fund, Walford Parish Council and donations from local residents (past and present).