13.0 Events, Activities and Projects 2022 - 2023
Events and activities
We had plenty of events planned during 2022 and 2023, from food festivals, funfairs, outdoor cinemas, running events and each year culminating with Luminate our enchanting, illuminated trail
Children’s trails: We had several of our favourite children’s trails around the park. Families have had lots of fun trying to find Easter eggs, dinosaurs, devils, and skeletons!
Coombe Abbey Artisan Markets: Coombe Abbey Park is home to a new monthly Artisan Market. Open from March through to October the market offers a wide range of arts, crafts and local produce from around the region.
Swan Challenge: The Swan Challenge is back at Coombe Abbey Park Run as many 5k laps of the stunning Coombe Abbey Park in the 6-hour time limit. You might be looking for your first 10k or training for a 50 miler, either way expect a warm friendly welcome and some great views. Full details can be found at bigbearevents.net
Coombe 10K: A new event at the glorious Coombe Abbey Park. Run 10K after work against a setting sun through mature woodland, grassy meadow, and formal gardens. A truly awesome place to run! This event is canicross friendly.
Sphinx AC – Coombe 8: The popular annual Coombe 8 multi-terrain race with a mixture of wooded trails and undulating farmland at the historic site of Coombe Abbey on the outskirts of Coventry. Held annually in November.
Adventure Cinema: Outdoor cinemas are an extremely popular event. Screenings for all ages and differing genres for everyone to enjoy. Screenings such as Dirty Dancing, Grease – sing a long, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Encanto, Spice Girls the Movie, Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone, Mamma Mia, The Greatest showman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Lost Boys and Elvis to name but a few.
Luminate Coombe – Coombe Abbey Winter Light Trail: A spectacular, illuminated trail, full of wonder and intrigue, to delight and enthral your senses. As darkness descends, join us on our enchanting journey, as we weave a captivating light trail through the stunning, historic grounds of Coombe Abbey Park. Immerse yourself in our mesmerising mile long trail, with stunning lighting elements and fabulous light play, all set to ambient music. A Timeless experience to be enjoyed by all, young and old alike.
Coronation Garden: Coombe Abbey Park hosted a Garden Party on Sunday 7 May 2023. Taking place around the formal garden, the event brought together music, team games, Victorian ribbon games, street food, stalls and more. This special event was inspired by photos representing previous Coronations being discovered from Lady Craven’s time at Coombe.
Wreath Workshop: Come along and join us to create a wonderful Christmas wreath for you to take home. This is a hands-on workshop using natural seasonal materials sourced form within the park. Suitable for 15 years plus. Limited spaces. Booking is essential. For more information and to book please go to: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/.../christmaswreath-workshop
Funtopia: The big day out for little kids is coming to Coventry for the first time ever! We’ll be offering three incredible Funtopia events on three different dates over the summer!!! Our fun-filled festival is packed with Bouncy Castles, Obstacle Course, Inflatable Slide, Bungee Run, Human Wrecking Ball, Inflata-Bull, Nerf Wars, Driving School, Circus Skills, Sumo Suits, Giant Games, Space Hopper Races, Crafty Corner and more - all included in the price of your wristband! We even have an amazing Under 5s area for our mini guests, filled with Bouncy Castles, Soft Play, Ball Pool, Ride On’s, Giant Piano Mats and more. Funtopia is designed especially for younger visitors (Up to 10 years of age) and we encourage all grown-ups to play too! Visitors can enjoy unlimited play on the activities and inflatables as many times as they like during their stay!
Barkers Family Funfair: Barkers annual funfair took place again in August 2023, hampered slightly by the glorious summer weather! Barkers have operated at Coombe for many years and prove very popular attracting a good audience
Midlands Park Forum
In June 2023 we hosted the Midlands Park Forum at Coombe. The day involved a presentation from the Coombe Abbey Park and Visitor Experience Manager (CCC) a short tour of the grounds and a presentation from No Ordinary Hospitality Management (NOHM) with regards to private/commercial organisations working seamlessly with a local authority. The learning outcomes for the day were to provide an understanding of biodiversity and habitats, protected landscapes, visitor management, partnerships and collaborations, strategy, income and performance, landscape and garden design and an overview of the Green Flag Heritage Award to include an outdoor tour. Participants gained an understanding of Green Flag Heritage Award judging criteria, such as site condition, use, enjoyment of historic features, maintaining historic character and appearance, and came back indoors to discuss scores given to the site by delegates.
Arboricultural Association
Coombe Abbey Park and Hotel were host to day three of the Arboricultural Association’s annual conference on the 13th of September 2023 providing an overview of the park’s history and its specimen trees. Experts from CCC’s Urban forestry department guided delegates around some of the parks best exotic and veteran trees to look at their specific management.
Projects:
New Footpath – Top Pool Lodge to Metal Bridge Weir: In the Autumn of 2023, we set about replacing a path from Top Pool Lodge to metal bridge weir. The new path is accessible to everyone and in all weathers. The new path was funded by Luminate Coombe as part of their investment into the site n the back of a 5-year contract to run the Luminate event into 2026.
New Bridge – Duck Decoy: In the Autumn of 2023, the bridge at the Duck Decoy was replaced and now enables vehicle access. These works were also funded by Luminate Coombe as part of their investment into the site.
Memorial trail: Our memorial trail is made up of four carved posts situated around the park. Each post has space for a number of memorial leaves. These beautiful leaves, each individually cast from an Oak leaf from Coombe Abbey Park can be inscribed with an inscription of your choice (up to 30 characters). Each leaf measures 16 cm long. The cost for each leaf is £350 inclusive of VAT.
Formal garden restoration: Reduction of rhododendron beds in line with Miller's plan of the formal gardens, the plants had spread to almost 3 times the size of the intended bed. The self-set plants were removed, the ground reprofiled and level ground seeded with grass.
Hedge planting – rose and yew – December 2022: Planting of new white rose hedge to act as a backdrop to the herbaceous bed below and as a barrier to limit visitors climbing on the new restored terrace wall. Yew hedge reinstatement with failures replaced.
Hermit’s Hollow opens: A brand-new play area based on a key period of Coombe Abbey’s history has opened for the school summer holidays. Hermit’s Hollow, a new fun and engaging play area set deep within the woods of Coombe Abbey Park, has been created by Coventry City Council and is the latest new attraction designed to enhance the visitor experience. Managed by No Ordinary Hospitality Management (NOHM), which also operates Coombe Abbey Hotel and The Avenue at Coombe. Hermit’s Hollow offers a wide variety of adventure play features incorporated into the play structures, allowing visitors young and old to navigate the Hollow’s various bridges, walkways, ramps and tunnels. Visitors will also find the Hermit’s talking tube to send secret messages to friends, clamber high amongst the treetops on the upper level of the Canopy Spire, or whizz back to the ground on the spiralling tube slide or the accessible-to-all companion slide. Toddlers have their own mini-adventure to enjoy and accompanying adults or caregivers - when not climbing in the play structures themselves - can enjoy a tasty treat and hot drink from Hermit’s Cafe, which is located within the woodland playground. The theme of the new play facility is based on a notable period of Coombe’s nearly 900-year history when it was the residence of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James I in the early 1600s. During her time there, the princess was gifted an ‘island’ within the grounds where she ordered the creation of a cottage for a widow and her children, where fowls would be kept, and it was given the appearance of a type of building known as a hermitage. The new play area has been created by the team at Creating Adventurous Places Ltd (CAP.Co) and is inspired by the natural setting of the woodland and the nearby Smite Brook. Tickets for timed slots for Hermit’s Hollow are £3.95 and can be booked online in advance or at the on-site kiosk. Online advance bookings are encouraged to avoid disappointment. This new facility will complement the newly refurbished play area at the Visitor Centre and the Climbing Forest, which are both free to use. Hermit’s Hollow also benefits from its own catering unit “Hermit’s Café” and toilet facilities, including disabled toilet and baby changing facilities. One of our Estate Officers constructed the entrance signage for Hermit’s Hollow using surplus timber and the results were astounding.
Changing Places: In the spring of 2024, Coombe will benefit from a changing places facility on site. The facility will be located adjacent to the existing public toilet facilities at the Visitor Centre.“ Coventry City Council have been awarded more than £140,000 of government funding to install two new Changing Places toilets in the city to help improve lives of severely disabled residents. The Council are one of 64 local authorities across the country to have secured the funding for the second time from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to install two modular Changing Places Toilets at Coombe Abbey Park and War Memorial Park by March 2024. It consists of £7 million government funding to build 120 new Changing Places toilets in England where they are most needed as part of the wider Changing Places scheme worth £30.5 million. The scheme is providing more than 600 new facilities, bringing the total of Changing Places toilets across England to 1,900. Changing Places are toilet facilities for people with profound and multiple disabilities. They are fitted with specialist equipment such as a hoist and changing bench. They provide sufficient space for up to two carers to support the person with a disability to use the Changing Place. These toilet facilities will ensure that people with severe disabilities and their families or carers will not have to worry about whether there are adequate facilities for them to use. The commitment to installing more Changing Places Toilets in the city is part of the Council’s commitment to improving the accessibility and inclusivity in our city for people with disabilities and their families. We know from what these communities have told us that access to parks and open spaces is so important for their physical and emotional well-being that providing adequate toilet facilities in these venues is a top priority
Reservoir – MIOS (Matter in the Interests of Safety)
Coombe Pool Reservoir, owned by Coventry City Council is situated in Coombe Abbey Park. The reservoir is inspected regularly under Section 10(2) of the Reservoirs Act 1975.
The report following this inspection included several recommendations as to measures to be taken in the interests of safety (“MIOS”). MIOS recommendations are enforceable by the Enforcement Authority (Environment Agency) and require supervision by a Qualified Civil Engineer (“QCE”) within the meaning of the Act. Atkins Realis is the inspectorate for Coombe Pool, and the requirements identified are enforceable by the Enforcement Authority (Environment Agency) and must therefore be undertaken:
Works should be undertaken to improve the profile of the downstream slope between the outlet structure and the main spillway.
Atkins’ scope of services will also cover tasks to address the following further MIOS recommendations as made by the QCE in a partial certificate under Section 10(6) issued on 26th September 2022:
Works should be undertaken to ensure that: the dam crest level from Chainage 0m to Chainage 400m is not less than 74.44mAOD (1,000yr still water flood level + 50mm); the dam crest level from Chainage 500m to Chainage 950m is not less than 74.73mAOD (1,000yr still water flood level +340mm); the dam crest level from Chainage 975m to Chainage 1080m is not less than 74.91mAOD (1,000yr still water flood level + 520mm); and the dam crest level between these section given should be not less than that of the graded line (matching the levels either side).
Works should be undertaken to improve the transition from the spillway chute to the Smite Brook by protecting the downstream channel (the extent of the channel protection to be determined and agreed with the QCE).
In addition to the above, repairs to Bellmouth Weir/downstream watercourse/overflow/Spillway are required. These works will involve damming the lake to prevent water overspill whilst the repairs are undertaken. The above matters are in hand with Atkins Realis.
Bridge Assessment: Coombe Abbey bridge is a single span masonry arch bridge located in Coombe Abbey Park, builtc. 1771-1776. The bridge has been identified as requiring an assessment to identify the safe weight limit of the structure. The bridge currently supports 40t traffic, with no special vehicles, which is to be maintained. There are no previous drawings or inspections available for the bridge. The country park is a listed park and garden, and the bridge is located within a woodland area. The bridge carries a road used as a footpath open to members of the public, and for vehicular use by park staff.
The aims of this assessment were to:
- Identify the safe weight limit of the structure
- Identify repair and improvement works required to the structure to support in achieving a 40-tonne loading capacity and for the replacement of a failed red-brick balustrade.
Due to the lack of previous inspections and drawings, it was necessary to undertake a principal inspection of the structure to determine its condition and identify the repairs required. The results would then support the assessment to determine the safe weight limit.
Overall, the bridge was in poor condition, despite the arch being in fair condition. The wingwalls and spandrels were in poor condition. The assessment found that the bridge structure assessed as part of the scope of works has a loading capacity of 40 tonnes.
The above matter is in progress between Coventry City Council and Atkins Realis.
Biodiversity at Coombe
Hedgehogs: Hedgehog surveying continued on the site and has demonstrated that Coombe is home to some very healthy individuals along with rescued hedgehogs that were released back into the park. The most recent survey (undertaken in September 2023) identified a total of 48 hedgehog sightings over three nights of 17 individuals, 14 were new, and 3 were hogs previously tagged in the past two years. The smallest was 449g and the biggest was 1.152kg. All but the smallest were over 600g already (and 6 were over 1kg), so really good weights heading towards winter hibernation, with plenty of invertebrate prey for them. All were generally healthy looking; a few had a couple of ticks and fleas but nothing major. Most sightings were along the west side of the driveway, with quite a few around the visitor centre and trees/long grass to the immediate east of it. They seem to really like the long grass under the trees on both sides of the drive, and the edges where the long and short grass areas meet. Also found were two individuals on the arboretum side of the site this time, one being a recapture first seen in April 2022 right by the causeway. Other sightings/notes included a couple of common toads, 2 wood mice, a fox, a badger, Daubenton’s bats foraging over the pool, a couple of muntjacs, plenty of rabbits, the usual tawny owls calling and a barn owl screeching nearby. We had a lot of new and returning volunteers (15 people in total over the 3 nights!), so all in all a successful weekend with lots of useful data collected.
Butterflies: Butterfly Conservation Trust volunteers continued to survey Coombe showing butterfly populations to be on trend with Warwickshire averages. Through recent consultation with BCT a planting list has been developed to create a connection corridor of wildflowers beneath the trees of the main drive increasing wildflower coverage by 3ha
WeBs Surveying: WeBs (wetland bird survey) and the Heron census continue to be completed at Coombe, with records sent to the BTO and Warwickshire biological records office.
Natural England: Natural England visited the site again this year to monitor a new Heron nesting site on the park boundary, they also reviewed the works being undertaken on site under our HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) agreement. In November 2023, the site was audited by the Rural Payments Agency to ensure we were working in line with the current agreement. The Rural Payments Agency contacted us post-visit to advise they were happy with their findings. The HLS agreement for the site has now been extended to 2028.
Notable sightings
Birds: Great White egret continuing to overwinter here and seems to be roosting on the heronry with the 37 little egrets. Little egrets are still breeding on the heronry and nest numbers are increasing which is encouraging. There was a pair of cattle egrets feeding on the Deer park for the 1st time, which is great as these were once a rarity in the UK but numbers have been increasing since 2017
Fungi: Golden Bootleg Fungus Phaeolepiota, Waxcaps, Pinkgills and Crazed Cap
Flora: Haresfoot Clovers, Hairbells and Nettle Leaved Bellflowers.
Volunteers
We have benefited from several corporate volunteering groups including, RS Group, Core Highways Group and Jaguar Landrover who have been undertaking a number of tasks including Rhododendron clearance, litter picking and dealing with epicormic growth on the main drive/avenue.
Our volunteer, Dean Wainwright Photography has spent many hours capturing beautiful photos from in and around the park.
