AS a wreath laid by Harry Patch, who recently died aged 111, goes on display at the National Memorial Arboretum, Rachael Olley reports on how this important and beguiling "haven" can also capture young imaginations.
ON a press trip to Staffordshire for Have Lovely Time, I decided to imagine what my children would like about the different places visited, writes Rachael Olley.
And being as the attractions I got to see are on my doorstep, I learned a valuable lesson - you don't have to travel far to have a great day out and I am enormously proud of the beauty we have in our home county.
I found myself almost bragging to the others on the trip about the local area and had to remind myself that I wasn’t the tour guide just a visitor like everyone else!
Our first stop was the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas near Lichfield. I had seen this on the local news many times, but to my shame had never visited.
From the brief images I’d seen on TV I though this was just one memorial. How wrong I was. The site is enormous and there are memorials to many, many organisations and individuals, amongst them the Police, Ambulance Service, SANDS(a very beautiful but sad area for parents who have suffered neo-natal death), the RNLI and of course the armed forces.
The Millennium Chapel for Forgiveness holds an act of remembrance every morning and is worth a peek inside if only for the fabulous woodcarving by the Guild of Woodcarvers.
From the point of view of a visit with small children then the wonderful symbolism would be lost on them but I am sure they would appreciate the lovely play area with willow tunnels, the enormous space and the wooden animal carvings.
Older children should appreciate the larger memorial area (especially with the TV News full of news of soldiers in Afghanistan), the museum built by the CPOW – Children of Prisoners of War that shows the horrors endured by POWs in the Far East and the actual piece of the Burma Railway that is on display.
A tip for families is that the only toilets/baby changing are in the Visitor Centre so it's a good idea ensure the family has been to the loo before setting off on a tour.
And of course if your children are keen to spend your hard-earned cash (as most kids are...) there is a well-stocked gift shop and a charity shop on-site so the money you have saved on your entrance fee can be used here.
Even if you are not into military history you can take a beautiful walk along the riverside (we saw dragonflies, all manner of butterflies and swans) or go bird spotting in the woods which houses one of the largest collection of oak trees in the UK and just soak up the beauty of the area.
The Anne Frank memorial tree is a symbol representing children who have died in conflict. On June 12 each year, the date of Anne's birthday, the tree's flowers are stripped bare - as she never was able to blossom into adulthood.
We visited during National Armed Forces Week so there were plenty of veterans on site which added to the atmosphere no end. The Arboretum is described as a "unique haven of peace", contemplation and hope for the future and is best known as the site of the Armed Forces Memorial.
It's made up of 150 acres of wooded parkland. Amazingly, there is no charge for admission and parking is just £2 for the day so it is an ideal credit-crunch busting attraction.
We were taken on a guided tour by a very proud and knowledgeable volunteer guide who informed us he probably spent more time here than he did at home. Like him, I got a real sense of enormous pride and this was strengthened by each and every volunteer we encountered.
The site is funded by the Ministry of Defence, the Royal British Legion and by charitable donations.
I'd recommend the guided tours which are very reasonable (currently £2 for adults, £1 for under 14s and free for the under fives – you can buy tickets from reception) or a detailed guide (£7) or map (£2.50,)
Or you can hop on a small train (same charge as the tours) that circulates the area as a lot of the symbolism and thought behind the memorials would be missed if you were to wander around without information.
The train would be especially attractive to little ones or people with reduced mobility as the site is vast.
Mobility scooters and wheelchairs are available and dogs are allowed in certain areas.
We had lunch in the Arbour Restaurant and the food was homemade, of great quality and locally-sourced – for café-style catering the chilli was refreshingly spicy.
For real pud-lovers the Dime Bar dessert is not to be missed! For families on a budget there are picnic benches around the site and a picnic area near the children’s play area.
We were told that when the Arboretum was opened they expected 60,000 visitors whereas last year there were approx 320,000 visitors and an estimated minimum of 250,000 visitors are expected this year. I'm not surprised.
It seems like every part of the Arboretum has been so carefully planned and executed even the garden of remembrance has four beds of different coloured roses to symbolise the four stages of grief: red, anger; purple, despair; pink, quiet acceptance; white/yellow, happy memories.
It's this type of thought that makes this a very special place.
See here for details of guided walks and craft activities.
The Arboretum is open daily apart from Christmas Day from 9am-5pm.
Satnav directions: DE13 7AR
On a Google map:
* Thank you to Visit Lichfield and Visit Cannock Chase for inviting Rachael on the press trip to this beautiful part of the world. More reports will follow.
Hi Rachael, thank you for your report - you have honestly made me think how much I would like to take my daugthers here. I don't understand why they wouldn't have been on a school trip. Looks and sounds beautiful.
Posted by: Linda | 08/05/2009 at 11:25 PM
It certainly makes you want to take the family there for an enjoyable and cost cutting day out. I know my boys would really enjoy the experience. Thankyou Rachael.
Posted by: Paul | 08/06/2009 at 03:37 PM
Thanks Rachael, that was a great review. I'm going to make a point of visiting it during the summer holidays, I think my daughters would like to see it too.
Posted by: notSupermum | 08/06/2009 at 04:37 PM
Thanks everyone! That pic at the top is pic is very sad - it's the memorial to those that were called cowards and shot for deserting and most were only in their teens. I am really surprised that my kids schools haven't visited so I'm going to suggest it as they do school trips.
Posted by: Rachael | 08/06/2009 at 08:45 PM
it's a great article Rachel, I didn't know it was there, I'm a complete history geek so anything like this fascinates me, i'll definitely be going there soon!
Posted by: Julie | 08/06/2009 at 08:46 PM
Like you Rachael, I also live on the doorstep, have seen it on the news many times, but had no idea there was as much there as you described.
My boys have just finished a project about World War II at school so I know they'd find it interesting.
We'll definitely be making a trip there over the summer.
Posted by: Carol | 08/06/2009 at 09:52 PM
To my shame, my family has never visited either. I honestly hadn't realised there was so much there - great article Rachael, very thorough and informative. Am planning a visit once my youngest is a little bigger and able to understand more - sounds like a place everyone should know about and go along to pay their respects.
Posted by: Helen | 08/11/2009 at 11:50 PM
Rachael I think you have done a great summary of what the NMA is all about. As a guide there and a promotional speaker for the Arboretum I am like all of the volunteers who give their time, we appreciate the wonder of the site, its serenity but above all the chance to meet the varied and interesting visitors who pour through our entrance. It is a great place to bring children and it should be part of their education.
Posted by: Roger | 08/13/2009 at 05:00 PM
Thanks for the nice comments on the article. In particular Roger's as I wanted to convey how impressed I was and how touched by the atmosphere there. I have seen the memorial many times on the local news but unless you visit you can't appreciate how so many people must value it as a wonderful tribute to our armed forces and the many other organisations and individuals represented there.
Posted by: Rachael Olley | 08/17/2009 at 01:21 AM