Town centre park may become memorial garden

A NEGLECTED park in Warrington town centre will be converted into a memorial garden, if plans being developed by the borough council, go ahead.
Marshall Gardens, on the banks of the Mersey by Warrington Bridge and opposite the Cenotaph at Bridge Foot, is named after a former Mayor who lived until he was 103.
Alderman Edward Marshall was one of the town’s wartime Mayors in 1941-42 and later became leader of the council for many years.
He was awarded the MBE for his work as chairman of the Warrington and District Joint Food Control Committee during World War 2.
The park has been neglected for some years, but the council is now working with residents with links to the armed forces to revive it as a memorial garden for those who fell in conflict.  Among them is Lisa Billing, the mother of Private Daniel Wade, from Latchford, who was killed fighting in Afghanistan in 2012 aged just 20
Proposals include clearing overgrown trees and shrubs, installing CCTV and providing new railings. New benches, a new path and sculptures and new signage are also being considered.