First of all a big thanks to CCAG for their invite to blog with them. The CCAG and the ARA are both committed to making life in the Arbo and its surrounds a more positive experience for all. If you don’t know, the ARA stands for the Arboretum Residents Association and we have been active in the Arboretum for many years. We represent the opinions and ideas of Arboretum residents. We are non-political although we work together with our local city and county council representatives to help achieve our goals. We meet about every six weeks at the Baptist Church on Samsone Walk.
Over the years we have been involved in many diverse projects, the most recent of those being Light Up the Arboretum which won Worcester City Council’s “Talk to Me” award for the best community project 2019. The ARA is behind the wonderful Westbury Street Pocket Park beneath the viaduct, it’s recent revamp being secured by the ARA through funding from the government’s plastic bag levy on supermarkets. The ARA also instigated and has just helped successfully secure a Residents Parking Scheme which will come into operation in the near future and help alleviate some of the parking issues in and around the Arboretum. On behalf of residents, we have also been heavily involved in decisions made on the future of the Sansome Walk swimming pool site.
Our annual events include an Autumn Harvest Fete and Carols at Christmas both of which are held in the Pocket Park. All our community projects rely on the support of residents so if you hear of a project you’d like to be involved in just get in touch. Similarly, if you’d like to start your own community project, the ARA would more than likely be able to help out with volunteers and administrative support.
We are extremely excited about the prospect of working together with the CCAG. Our first project together will be the Canal Festival from the 28th to the 30th of June. We believe we can make this festival even better than the last.
The ARA will be posting on this site at regular intervals, so please log on. On this website facilities are provided to post comments and volunteer for most projects. Please take these opportunities because the Arboretum as a community is as only as strong as it’s residents. Any member of the community is welcome to our six weekly meeting, the next being on the 21st of May at 7:30 at the Baptist Church Samsone Walk, hope to see you then.
Our list of supporters is getting bigger – thank you all for your offers of help and support in this, what is going to be, amazing Worcester Canalside Festival 28th-30th June 2019 on Lansdowne Park (one of many events that CCAG are organising).
Lavish are supporting us with a stall showing wonderfully colourful fabrics, clothes, accessories (e.g. bags and bangle) and even belly dancing outfits.
What is “Domino-graphy”? It is domino-like photography. Take pictures around the Arboretum, Worcester and submit them here then we can stitch them together to make a film tour of the Arboretum, to add to it’s living history.
Do you have an artistic side? Are you into re-cycling? How about trying an Arboretum ScrapMap
CCAG will be accepting photographs from individuals, groups (schools, brownies, art groups, boating groups, etc.) of a map of the Arboretum in Worcester made entirely of re-cycled material.
Please only take part safely and with safe materials – ideally with advice from an adult, supervisor, artist.
Entries will be judged by the CCAG Committee and we will visit you with a view to seeing it in person, chatting to the artist/group then the interview and pictures posted on this website, Facebook, Twitter and in the local press.
Deadline for the submissions is Saturday 13th April 2019 at 12:00am
Photo: Ian Mackey. The canal side by Lower Chestnut Street and Lansdowne Park
The canal takes a gentle turn by the end of Lower Chestnut Street, to follow what was the valley base. As it does so here, it crosses the old droveway (just the other side of the orange brick tiles following Lower Chestnut Street).
Just beyond – where the tree and nature reserve are on the left, is Hangman’s Acre that was cut by the canal’s construction. You will see from an aerial shot that the houses along Lowell Street are parallel to those on Washington and East Street. Lowell Street was the edge of the ‘acre’ which may explain why the houses along there are numbered sequentially on the North East side of the street …it didn’t exist when the Ice Skating Rink was on the other side of the street.
