Summer celebrations planned to mark Titchfield Park's 100th birthday but some Hucknall residents are sceptical

Ashfield District Council is planning a huge party this summer for all Hucknall residents to celebrate Titchfield Park's 100th birthday.

Plans are afoot for a huge celebration to mark the park's contribution to Hucknall life. In preparation, Ashfield District Council have invested in hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of new play facilities at the green flag award winning park. Work has also been completed on a new £300,000 flood prevention scheme as well as significant improvements to the War Memorial.

In 1914, in honour of his 25th Anniversary and the 21st birthday of his son, the Marquis of Titchfield, the Duke of Portland gave 11 acres of land to the town of Hucknall. Another 13 acres were added by the Hucknall Miners Welfare Committee, funded by a coal tax. The opening of the park was held up by the outbreak of the First World War, with the Marquis of Titchfield finally conducting the opening ceremony in July 1922.

Now Hucknall's Ashfield Independent councillors are planning a series of events to mark the park's centenary in July 2022. They are asking for ideas from Hucknall residents to help mark the occasion.

Ideas so far include a celebratory concert to cater for the young and old, outdoor cinema events, sports events, an exhibition of old photos as well as a memorial to commemorate the landmark day.

Ashfield Independent Councillor John Wilmott said: "Titchfield Park was the first park I ever played in, and I have many, many happy memories of this wonderful part of Hucknall.

"During successive Covid lockdowns, the popularity of the park rocketed, and this has continued. We've been preparing for this for a few years now. That's why we have spent so much money on making the park the best we can. The 100th anniversary is a unique opportunity to celebrate the vast contribution our amazing park has played to life in Hucknall."

Councillor Lee Waters lives right next to the park, on Morven Avenue. He said: "My wife and I chose to live close to this wonderful park for our son Alexander. He now prefers the park to home – we often visit twice a day.

"It's been amazing to see the improvements as they happen. It really is a destination that families travel miles to get to. Park users have never been as high and we're hoping that in July we'll be able to throw the biggest party in the whole of Nottinghamshire to celebrate the gift from the marquis and our ex-miners that keeps on giving."

However, the plans have been met with scepticism from certain quarters of the Hucknall community who are unhappy with the part that the Ashfield Independents have played in formulating the area's Local Plan.

The controversial proposals, which were drawn up a few months ago, include building 3000 houses on green belt land at Whyburn Farm .

The irony of the party's decision to front this celebration of Hucknall's green space whilst also being actively involved in plans to build on another has not been lost on some.

A spokesperson for the HAWFD (Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development) group said: "Whilst we welcome Ashfield District Council and the Ashfield Independents coming into our town and looking for the positives, we would also encourage them to review the green spaces that they want to take away which covers acres and acres of land.

"We urge them to really visit us and see what it is they're taking away from the local people not what it is that they believe they're giving to us.

"They think that a little show of solidarity with Hucknall people by coming into the local park will make us feel all warm and fuzzy but actually we're more concerned with what they're taking away because that's having a bigger impact on the mental and physical health of the thousands and thousands of people that live in the town, and they don't consider that."