I have long recognised, and written about, Kenilworth’s amazing community spirit and the town’s ability to put on great events that big cities would be envious of. This past weekend has encapsulated that. On Thursday evening I had the honour of presenting two awards at the revamped and revitalised Worthies, which recognised businesses that contribute so much more than revenue to the town, and sung some unsung heroes who make our community what it is. Huge credit belongs to Rebecca Warwick and her team at the Chamber of Trade and beyond, who have given us the chance to celebrate again what is special about Kenilworth businesses and voluntary organisations. On Friday, some of us got back into Medieval dress to mark the launch of Kenilworth Revealed – a project which brings the Kenilworth of 500 years ago to life with augmented reality scenes from the 1500s you can view on your smartphone at fixed points around Abbey Fields. Download the Kenilworth Revealed app and give it a try. It is the brainchild of the town’s former Mayor Alan Chalmers, who has given many of us the chance to be involved and re-enact scenes from history and, in turn has given visitors to Kenilworth for many years to come an insight into the Kenilworth of the past. In that remarkable achievement he and his team have also given visitors an insight into the Kenilworth of today – a place that can take a good idea and turn it into a lasting legacy for the town with ingenuity and teamwork.
Teamwork was on display again on Saturday evening as the volunteers of the Kenilworth Round Table delivered another fantastic fireworks display for a crown of thousands from all over the West Midlands and beyond. We have come to take it for granted that the relatively small community of Kenilworth stages one of the best fireworks shows in the country every year, but it is a remarkable thing, all the more so because it is done by local Round Tablers alongside their day jobs. The amounts raised for charity in the process are as impressive as the pyrotechnics. Then finally of course, on Sunday morning, Remembrance Sunday, we came together around the War Memorial to commemorate those who sacrificed themselves for Kenilworth’s community and its freedoms. In continuing to show what that this community can achieve in so many ways, how it can join together and how we can lift each other up, we honour their memory.
