Chelsea gold medal-winning flower display returning to city for Games
A gold medal-winning flower display will be returning to the region to inspire people ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
The Birmingham City Council display, which won gold at the Chelsea Flower Show, will be going on display on the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral on Temple Row in the city centre.
The display, which celebrates Birmingham's status as host city of the Commonwealth Games, will open on Thursday with a launch event featuring the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Maureen Cornish and the Dean of Birmingham, Rt Rev Matt Thompson.
The cathedral will also be constructing The Common Wealth Table on this day, a covered 30-seater table situated in Cathedral Square as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival and 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 welcomes 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.
Councillor 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.”
Rev 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 the 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.”
