The 2.4 metre monument with a smooth pebble-like surface is the focal point of the Memorial Garden, located behind the Old Town Hall.

It will also be home to seating areas, trees, plants, and terraced grass areas. Inspirational words have been engraved around the base, including ‘community’ and ‘kindness’. The carved hole near the top of the stone has been designed to represent the future or something beyond, referring to the positive changes visitors will soon see in the town centre.

The garden aims to focus on remembrance, gathering, reflection, and thought. It is due to be fully completed in the new year. To ensure the garden is used suitably and reduce the risk of any anti-social behaviour, CCTV cameras will also be installed nearby in the new year.

As part of a wider Mansfield District Council Urban Greening project in the town centre, another pocket park with a slide for youngsters has been completed on the grassy slope at the rear entrance of the Four Seasons Shopping Centre, near Walkden Street car park.

The green space has seen new grass terraces, a slide, and steps installed. Both gardens have been designed to improve the air quality, water drainage, and physical appearance of the town centre. This will also open fully in early 2023 to give time for the new grass to settle.

Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “I am so pleased to see both of these green projects progressing ahead, all for the benefit of our residents and visitors to the town centre.

“Both areas were in need of greening up to help make more locations in the centre attractive to pause or enjoy with the family.

“These projects are an important part of improving the environment in our town centre. I now hope it will encourage people to linger and enjoy spending time in Mansfield, boosting our local economy.”

Through its ambitious Green Recovery programme, Severn Trent is investing £76m in Mansfield using community integrated sustainable urban drainage to alleviate the risk of flooding during storms, in a trial never seen on this scale in the UK before. The memorial garden is one of the schemes incorporating sustainable drainage, designed to make communities more resilient against the increasing threat of flooding from climate change, population growth and urban development for years to come. The underground work to install these systems is now complete meaning the planting of a variety of shrubs, trees and greenery can begin.

Adam Boucher, Green Recovery programme lead at Severn Trent, said: “We’re really proud of the progress of the work taking place in the memorial garden, and it’s a great example of collaboration. By working together, we’ve been able to transform what would have just been a normal green space, and install sustainable drainage that will help reduce flooding in the town.

“This is the first of many sustainable drainage systems we’ll be installing with the next phase of work set to begin in the new year in the Ravensdale area. Through this exciting project, we’re not only tackling the threat of flooding using innovative nature-based solutions, but with that will bring greener spaces and places for people to enjoy, and the memorial garden is a great example of that.”

In addition to the Town Hall Memorial Garden site, Severn Trent plan to continue enhancing the town centre with several new rain gardens to capture and retain surface water during storm events.

Galliford Try, based in Annesley, is the contractor undertaking the projects on behalf of the council. It employs 14 people on the project, most of whom are local to Mansfield.

Pictured, from left, are Tim Grundy, Mayor Andy Abrahams, Nick Roberson, and Chris Gould.