Andrew Mitchell, accompanied by the Leader of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, Simon Ward, recently met with the Midlands Director of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Anne Jenkins, in the Royal Town.
Although responsible for an area that stretches from Shropshire to Essex, Anne lives in Four Oaks and is therefore well aware of the importance of Sutton Park to the Royal Town. As the Royal Town’s Council seeks to take over responsibility of Sutton Park from Birmingham City Council, Simon Ward and Andrew Mitchell were keen to hear Anne’s suggestions on how Sutton Park should be managed, in order to increase the likelihood of obtaining a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.
Anne explained the importance of improving outreach, by introducing projects that engage the local community, with particular regard to the environment. By way of an example, Anne suggested that Sutton Park would be perfectly placed to teach people how to manage ecosystems, in order to maintain the rich heathland heritage of the Park.
The three were all in agreement that the most important factor for Sutton Park is its rich history. Given to the people of Sutton Coldfield by Henry VIII in 1528, Sutton Park is the largest municipal park in Europe.
Speaking after the meeting, Andrew Mitchell said: “The Leader of the Royal Town’s council and I were very pleased to meet with Anne Jenkins. It is abundantly clear to both Simon and me that she has a strong understanding of Sutton Park’s significance. Her advice was received with thanks and I look forward to seeing Sutton Park continue to thrive in the coming years.”
Simon Ward remarked: “I was impressed by the range of ideas put forward by Anne Jenkins, which can only help the Royal Town’s Council as we seek to provide a clear case to Birmingham City Council that we, as Suttonians, are best placed to run our own wonderful Park.”
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP at 020 7219 1689 or email at andrew.mitchell.mp@parliament.uk.
