One of the recommendations from Coventry’s Citizens’ Assembly was:
Create a network of pocket parks and green spaces – connected by walking and cycling trails throughout the city, incorporate art and sculpture, build new parks and incorporate existing ones.
The Green Ways pilot route joins Foleshill and Radford to begin to test out this recommendation, and asks how we might all work together to make this recommendation a reality. How different might Coventry feel if there was a network of pocket parks and green spaces connected by green and art-filled trails between neighbourhoods? Why not explore the pilot Green Way and let us know what you think?
What if Coventry neighbourhoods were connected by a network of pocket parks and green spaces with safe, green routes between them for humans and wildlife?
This map marks the route of the tester Green Way that connects Red House Park – Webster’s Park – Cash’s Park via the canal towpath – Radford Rec. It also shows a Green Way extension into the city centre via Naul’s Mill and the Underpark. Next time you need to get into town, why not follow the Green Way?
Over the last few months, our 8 artists have been working with communities that live/work/play along a tester Green Ways route that links Foleshill to Radford. We booked the hall at St Paul’s and invited people to come along today for a free hot lunch & to explore the Green Ways! This event was a chance for people to meet (and eat with) their neighbours, think and talk about green spaces, and to see what the artists have been up to – overseen by the Spirit of the Green Ways, made by Pippa Church. There were planting, puppets, poetry and printing activities, we had young trees to give away and we also gave everyone a map and encouraged them to explore the Green Ways route, looking out for the Treasure Hunt clues along the way…
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us today to talk about our green spaces and what we might do to help make our city greener.
Thank you to our fantastic Green Ways artists Lou Sarabadzic, Tarla Patel, Dom Breadmore, Lisa Franklin, Navkiran Kaur Mann, Japhet Dinganga, Pippa Church and Rene Francis-McBrearty.
Thanks to Langar Aid for the fabulous food and to Awesome Coffee for hot drinks and cookies.
Thanks to Andy Moore for taking such lovely photos, and to St Paul’s for being such a wonderful venue.
Thanks to Lou Lomas and Lolli Fallon for Event Production and Management; and to Philippa, Lily and Melissa for general and invaluable support on the day.
And finally, thanks to Mothers Who Make A Garden, and especially Adele Mary Reed, for kindly supporting us to adopt and adapt the planters they hand-built for their beautiful garden created with Coventry Biennial in order to green up the Foleshill and Stoney Stanton roads.
What if, by greening our gardens, yards, balconies, verges and parks, we could not only make them lovely places to spend time in, but also safe routes for wildlife to travel across the city?
Green Ways
Reach for the skyline of Coventry.
Step outside into a global soundscape.
Look up at the heavenly canopy.
Taste the sweetness of a rainbow
Let fear melt underground.
Walk it out on the greenways.
by Navkiran Kaur Mann
What if neighbours came together to enjoy and care for their local parks and green spaces?
Contact Us
If you would like to stay in touch with what happens next with Green Ways, to let us know what you think about the idea, or to get involved in the project going forwards – please let us know:
Green Ways is one of the nine recommendations from the Citizens’ Assembly that Talking Birds held in 2021, exploring the role of arts, culture and creativity in shaping a better future for Coventry. The Assembly recommendation ‘Green Ways’ reads:
Create a network of pocket parks and green spaces – connected by walking and cycling trails throughout the city, incorporate art and sculpture, build new parks and incorporate existing ones.
Find an overview of the Green Ways project here!
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