The council’s Chelsea Flower Show gold medal-winning display goes on display for the people of Birmingham and visitors to the city to enjoy. The display celebrates our Proud Host City status for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
It will stay on show throughout the summer, offering another attraction for people coming into the city for the upcoming events and festivities. At this media opportunity there will be a brief blessing ceremony for the display before a chance for photos and interviews.
On hand at the upcoming media event will be the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Maureen Cornish, along with Councillor Majid Mahmood (Cabinet Member for Environment), staff that designed and built the display, and representatives from the Cathedral, including The Dean of Birmingham, The Very Reverend Matt Thompson. Extra bonus opportunity: The Cathedral will also be constructing The Common Wealth Table on this day and you are invited to inspect progress.
It is a covered 30-seater table situated in Cathedral Square as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival (funded by the city council through the Creative City strand of the Festival programme). It is set to be in place from the beginning of July until Harvest Festival in mid-September.
The cathedral is programming a number of events with partners to utilise the table. At other times The Common Wealth Table will be available for other uses and the Cathedral we warmly welcome bookings by community groups, members of the public and people from every faith group.
The Common Wealth Table has been developed to respond to a need for the creation of more communal spaces in the City Centre. It is hoped it will encourage engagement, interaction, and unity in a space where many people cross, collide and live together but rarely have a place to talk to each other.
Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Maureen Cornish, said: “Our city has hundreds of wonderful green and open spaces. The grounds of the Cathedral is one of those, and a real highlight of our city centre.
“I know many people pass this area on a daily basis – the Chelsea-winning display adds another attraction to our fantastic city and will help build excitement for the Commonwealth Games.”
Cllr Majid Mahmood, said: “I am delighted to see the Birmingham 2022-themed display come back home to our Proud Host City after its gold win at Chelsea.
“The Cathedral’s grounds are a stunning setting for people to come and see this fantastic creation, made thanks to the skills and talents of the council’s parks and nurseries team. It’s going to be a great summer for Birmingham, and this is another great attraction for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
The Dean of Birmingham, The Very Reverend Matt Thompson, said: “It is a real honour to be able to add this fantastic display to our grounds for visitors to enjoy this summer.
“Cathedral Square is the largest green space in city centre, which is enjoyed by thousands of people everyday. The installation will make a beautiful addition to the existing floral arrangements around the cathedral building which are cared for by our dedicated team of flower arrangers.”
