Background to the Coventry Young Ambassadors Islands of Peace Garden

Coventry Young Ambassadors Islands of Peace Garden, Coventry War Memorial Park. Free and open all year.

Coventry Young Ambassadors Islands of Peace Garden, Coventry War Memorial Park. Free and open all year.

From Idea to Reality

The building of the Coventry Young Ambassadors Japanese Peace Garden, Islands of Peace, is the culmination and legacy of the Coventry Cities of Peace Schools Projects (Peace Project 3). It is now a permanent Japanese Peace Garden located in the City of Coventry at the War Memorial Park for the people of Coventry and its many national and international visitors. The garden is based on the inspiration and ideas from the Coventry Young Ambassadors’ initially working with Between the Stones’ author, Jannette Cheong.

Jannette invited the Japanese Garden Society (JGS) to help realise the project. Graham Hardman, Honorary Vice President and former Chairman of the Society responded initially and brought in renowned garden designer, Robert Ketchell to lead the design work. Following the children’s work, a permanent site for the garden was found at the War Memorial Park by the Coventry co-ordinator, Rebecca Bollands. This is the largest civic park in the centre of Coventry. Expert help was offered by the Japanese Garden Society based on their experience of building gardens in public places elsewhere in the UK.

The resulting garden - Islands of Peace - is based on the children’s ideas. The children were shown a concept plan for the proposed garden produced by Robert Ketchell of the Japanese Garden Society.

The children could see that it included their most important ideas. Firstly, the garden can be seen to represent the Earth. The granite gravel symbolises the fact that over 70% of the planet’s surface is water, mostly in our oceans and seas. The idea of seven continents is respresented by seven islands in the garden: five as individual rocks and two larger islands with some planting – symbolic of the scarcity of natural resources. These two larger islands are connected with a two-part bridge, expressing the need for people to reach out to forge links of peace and reconciliation with others. The children felt that the broken bridge represents the fragile nature of our relationship with the planet and how peace is fragile and not always easy to achieve, and that there can be obstacles that must be overcome.

The children thought that the islands can represent different things to different visitors. It is a garden for contemplation. For example, the children also felt that the two larger islands could also represent Coventry and Hiroshima, or, indeed, even two individuals who needed to make peace and reconcile their differences.

Pupils engage with the construction of the garden

Throughout the building of the garden the children visited the site as often as possible and observed how the skilful aspects of the construction were undertaken by experts. They learned about some of the key aspects of the garden build and were allowed to participate in a number of key processes thanks to the careful supervision of the experts from Eurovia, Chiel Construction, and the Japanese Garden Society’s volunteers who gave generously of their time. In this way, the children could learn about the garden’s development throughout the building phases and gain a sense of the world of work and how ideas are turned into reality.

You can follow the building of the garden through the Garden Updates which follow.

Supporting the construction of the Coventry Young Ambassadors Islands of Peace Japanese Garden

The project has been realised by Rebecca Bollands, Deputy Head of one of the schools involved, working with Graham Hardman on behalf of JGS and Robert Ketchell who designed the garden using the children’s ideas and inspiration. 

The building of the garden has involved the local community, Coventry City Council, the Coventry schools and construction workers from sponsoring companies, supported by volunteers from the War Memorial Park and members of the Japanese Garden Society led by Graham and Robert. The building of the garden would not have been possible without the support of many sponsors brought to the project by Rebecca, Graham and Jannette.

The following people and organisations have given generously of their time, energy, commitment and resources to the building of the Coventry Japanese Peace Garden.

We are deeply grateful for their vision and support to help us give the people who live in Coventry, and our many visitors from the UK and around the world - this beautiful gift of a Japanese Peace Garden symbolising our vision and hope for the ‘Islands of Peace’ we would all like to leave as our legacy for the future.

Organisations/Institutions

  • Between the Stones Project

  • Builders Supply Stores

  • Chiel Construction ltd

  • Crown Waste

  • Coventry Primary Schools

  • Coventry City Council

  • Eurovia

  • Finnis Scott Foundation

  • Friends of the War Memorial Park

  • Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation

  • Hansons Concrete

  • Japanese Garden Society

  • Japan Society

  • London Digital Print

  • Mayor of Coventry’s Peace Committee

  • Mitsubishi Corporation, Corporate Management Support Office (EMEA)

  • National Lottery Awards for All

  • Niwaki

  • Sakai Kuwahara Moving Service UK

  • Severn Trent Community Fund

  • Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust 

Individuals

  • Rebecca Bollands

  • Margaret Caistor

  • Jannette Cheong

  • Sheila Christie

  • Katie Croft

  • Graham Hardman

  • Henrietta Heald

  • Robert Ketchell

  • Graham Marchant

  • Maurice and Linda Mealing

  • Heidi Potter

Coventry has inspired UNESCO Associated Schools Network in the UK and Japan to spearhead a pilot project to extend these projects under the heading: UNESCO Associated Schools Network Cities of Peace Schools Projects.

The Opening of the Children’s Japanese Peace Garden, as part of the Coventry Children’s Japanese Arts Festival

Messages of Peace and Opening Speeches at Coventry Cathedral

The importance of peace and reconciliation to Coventry and its links with Hiroshima was emphasised in the opening speech by the Honourable Lord Mayor Cllr John McNicholas, and Cities of Peace Schools Projects organisers Rebecca Bollands, Heidi Potter and Jannette Cheong, and the Dean of Coventry Cathedral, John Witcombe before he presented the Coventry ‘Cross of Nails’ to the city of Hiroshima.

This was accepted by His Excellency, Ambassador Hayashi from the Embassy of Japan in London who was attending the children’s Festival, together with his wife Madam Hayashi. Members of the Lord Mayor's Peace Committee and Coventry City councillors, including John Mutton, attended the event, and Ambassador Hayashi finished his opening speech with a presentation of a Certificate of Commendation to the Lord Mayor's Peace Committee for their peace and reconciliation work. This was received by Ruth Longoni who made the final opening speech.

You can hear all the speeches on the Lord Mayor’s Peace Committee website.


The Children’s Festival of Japanese Arts & Culture

The Coventry Young Ambassadors Festival of Japanese Arts & Culture took place throughout the morning of 2 July 2021 at Coventry Cathedral. After more than three years of work on a range of Japanese art, education and culture projects the children of Coventry shared this Festival of Arts & Culture with their supporters and peers!

Visitors were able to enjoy an exhibition of children’s work - a veritable feast of Japanese culture - including children contributing prints to the paper sculpture by artist, Hiroko Imada, and demonstrating the Art of the Tea Ceremony and Ikebana working with experts from Ganbare UK.

Coventry Young Ambassadors Three Cities of Peace Schools Projects

Examples and photographs of the children’s three Cities of Peace Schools Projects (2018-2021) were also viewed by visitors: Tanzaku peace poem cards (2018), masks and performances of noh-inspired poetic text (2019, and for the 2 July 2021 Festival), and, of course, photographs of the Coventry Young Ambassadors Japanese Peace Garden. This is the final project and the legacy of the three peace projects that came out of the schools’ work under the Between the Stones Project education and outreach programme (2018-2021). All three projects followed the theme: ‘from tragic loss to peace’.

The children linked these peace projects to their research on the history of Coventry and Hiroshima, including the moving account given by Keiko Ogura, a survivor of the WW2 Hiroshima bomb.

You can view the account of the Country Young Ambassadors Cities of Peace Schools Projects and short film of these projects here.

Coventry Young Ambassadors Islands of Peace Japanese Garden at the Coventry War Memorial Park

The long anticipated opening of the Coventry Young Ambassadors Islands of Peace Japanese Garden at the Coventry War Memorial Park - the last part and the legacy of the Cities of Peace Schools Projects - took place in the afternoon. The sun shone and it was a perfect day for the opening of the garden!

The afternoon’s activities began with a performance of Taiko drumming by pupils. This was followed the CYA Pupil Management Committee giving an account of how the garden came about and the pupils’ engagement with its creation, development and completion - including the planting of cherry trees leading up to the garden.


The support of so many!

Many of the Cities of Peace Schools Projects supporters and sponsors were also pleased to attend, including representatives from all of the major sponsoring partners such as: the Japanese Garden Society (Robert Ketchell, designer; Graham Hardman, project manager) and many of the JGS volunteers who helped to build the garden, colleagues from Coventry Country Council, Eurovia, Chiel Construction, Severn Water, and the many Between the Stones Project supporters including Mr Yoshinori Katayama, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Corporation International (Europe) Plc.

The Festival and many of the events, including the Coventry Young Ambassadors Cities of Peace Schools Projects 2018-2021, were part of the Japan-UK Season of Culture and also coincides with Coventry taking on the mantle of the UK City of Culture 2021.

Looking to the future - sowing the seeds for others

The Cities of Peace Schools Projects has inspired the UNESCO Associated Schools Projects Network (UNESCO ASPnet), and the National Coordinators from the UK and Japan are in discussion about a pilot project for more schools in the UK, Japan and possibly other countries, to undertake aspects of the Cities of Peace Schools work.

You can hear the Director of the UNESCO ASPnet, Julie Saito’s message to the Coventry Schools below.

Congratulations to all concerned - everyone had lovely day!

All of the photographs in this news update are courtesy of Andy Moore.

More work and tree planting around the garden!

There have been several visits since the snow to complete work around the garden and to plant cherry trees in the area beyond the garden.

A large group of volunteers worked on March 29th completing the laying of several tons of pebbles, finishing the benches and many other tasks.

Then two volunteers worked for two days completing the arch between our garden and the sensory garden, and finally seven volunteers helped with the cherry planting on April 27th and also carried out a lot more work on other planting by the arch and in the cherry grove area.

A Magnolia Stellata has been planted by the arch opposite our garden, and three Ginkgo biloba have been planted - one at each of the three open corners of the garden, but just outside it. They are a fastigiate variety which will grow as columns, currently about 1.5 metres high, but should grow fairly quickly (we hope!) and will in a sense ‘frame’ the garden in future years. A lovely connection to the Between the Stones project! (Thank you, Graham, for thinking of this arrangement!)

Here we see the children helping with the cherry tree planting with Rebecca Bollands.

Photography courtesy of Gosia Madera




Main garden now almost complete!

It is such a pleasure to be able to share good news at the end of 2020!

Work to create the new ‘Islands of Peace’, Japanese Peace Garden, at the Coventry War Memorial Park, inspired by the children of Coventry, is now almost complete! Finishing work and further planting, of mostly cherry trees leading up to and around the Peace Garden, will be completed next Spring. This will be prior to the planned opening of the garden on 26 March 2021 by the Japanese Ambassador.

Creating such a garden in 2020, one of the most challenging years in living memory, has been possible because of the dedication of the Japanese Garden Society, especially Graham Hardman, Robert Ketchell and the many volunteers who have all work tirelessly with the construction workers from Chiel and the many other workers associated with the project and its sponsoring bodies. All of these people have been inspired by the children of Coventry and their teachers. Special thanks must go to Rebecca Bollands who has spearheaded the project from the beginning and has worked extremely hard liaising with all those concerned, at the same time as carrying out her demanding daytime work as Deputy Head of Howes Primary School and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This project is truly an amazing achievement by all concerned.

From all the partners and sponsors of the project - our wholehearted congratulations and many thanks to all concerned. We are sure the children are proud of the legacy and all that has been achieved in their name.

Here are some of the early photos of the completed main garden both by night and during the daytime. It is wonderful also to see the beautiful garden set against the ‘borrowed scenery’ of the mature trees of the Coventry War Memorial Park which will also celebrate its centenary year in 2021!

Japanese Garden Society volunteers and Eurovia making great progress on the garden development!

A huge amount of work has been put into the garden from Eurovia and the Japanese Garden Society volunteers, under the supervision of Graham and Robert.

Eurovia have been finishing off the paving and it has been all hands on deck recently spreading the gravel and pushing ahead with the rest of the garden development!

JGS volunteers are from across the country - Robert from Devon, Graham from Manchester, others are from Cumbria, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire and one person is local to the garden.

Planting will begin this week with the children returning to participate …


Let the paving begin....

The children have been learning about paving techniques from the Eurovia experts! The paved area leads up to the garden and the viewing pods. The children will be quite the experts themselves by the time the garden is finished!

We can also see that the bags of gravel have been placed all around the garden on a membrane and will soon be spread and raked. As the children also take a closer look at the different kinds of cobblestones that will also be used in the garden we can see that they are really beginning to understand the qualities of all these different materials!

Coventry Young Ambassadors meet the graphic designer who will create the information board for the new garden

Not deterred by the rain, Coventry Young Ambassadors made a further visit to the Japanese Peace Garden site at the Coventry War Memorial Park!

The garden site, as can be seen from these photographs, is situated next to The Aviary, and not far from the War Memorial, from which the Coventry Civic Park takes its name.

The children were briefed by Graham Hardman on the garden progress, and by the graphic designer who will create the final permanent information board for the Japanese Peace Garden. Together they looked at existing permanent information stands in the park, as well as the temporary board created to give the general public information about the Japanese Peace Garden’s history and the children’s role in its creation.

The roof begins to take shape, and the first of the boulders arrive!

Step by step the garden development moves forward following the ground clearance…

Here we can see the roofing structure being created that sits above the (14m x 28m) garden wall, and the delivery of those beautiful boulders to the garden site!

Japanese Garden Society (JGS) volunteers now take more direct control of the distinctive Japanese Garden features…

If you want to ask any questions of the garden build do let us know here and we will add your questions and the JGS responses to the site to share with others!

Another exciting week of development to come - how lucky we are (except when it rains!) that this is an outdoor activity at this challenging time!


Coventry Young Ambassadors continue their work experience at the site of the Japanese Peace Garden!

It was an exciting moment for the Coventry Young Ambassadors from all five Coventry Primary Schools (Broad Heath, Finham, Howes, Parkhill and Stivichall) when they were able to join the Chiel Construction workers to pour the concrete, and lay the first bricks, for the wall of the Coventry Japanese Peace Garden! This will surround the garden on two sides and provide an important background and perimeter to the Japanese Garden (as can be seen on the original concept drawing by Robert Ketchell).


The Digging complete…

concrete pouring (1).jpg

CYA oversee the pouring of the concrete foundation!

 

CYA then learn about bricklaying and help lay the initial bricks for the garden wall

CYA Bricklaying team 1…

CYA Bricklaying team 2…

Once again, well done everyone!

We look forward to the next stage of the garden build!

Coventry Young Ambassadors help to dig the foundations for the Japanese Peace Garden!

Last week members of the Coventry Young Ambassadors from all five Primary Schools involved in the CYA Cities of Peace Noh Theatre Project were excited to be invited to take part in the digging of the foundations for the Japanese Peace Garden at the Coventry War Memorial Park.

Prior to their digging sessions the children were briefed by professional workers from Ciel Construction company who are building the garden wall. The children were then able to demonstrate their complete commitment and enthusiasm to the garden project by participating in the digging of the garden foundations!

First CYA Digging Team

 

Second CYA Digging Team

 

Third CYA Digging Team

 

4th CYA Digging Team

 

5th CYA Digging Team

Thank you for all your hard work and enthusiasm, children!