Following the replacement of the two old wooden benches near the Cenotaph, we received a number of comments from residents who were understandably fond of the original seating.

Unfortunately, the old benches had reached the point where they were no longer safe to remain in use, so they were removed and placed into storage.

We’re really pleased to say that local joiners Glyn Brown and Viv Bradley have since worked their magic and brought a new wooden bench to life, using the character and traditional style of the original seating as inspiration.

The new bench has now been installed near the Cenotaph, complete with the original “In Loving Memory” plaques.

A huge thank you to Glyn and Viv for the time, skill and care they have put into this, and also to Billy Wainwright for his help with transporting the benches.

It’s great to see a traditional wooden bench back in place in such an important part of the village.

This does leave us with one of the new brightly coloured recycled-plastic benches looking for a new home!

Rather than simply choosing a location ourselves, we thought we’d ask residents:

📍 Where in the village do you think the remaining coloured bench would be most useful?

Perhaps somewhere along a popular walking route, near one of our community spaces, or somewhere that currently has nowhere to sit?

Pop your suggestions in an email to clerk@caerswscommunitycouncil.gov.uk and we’ll take a look at the ideas put forward.

And once again, our thanks to Glyn Brown, Viv Bradley and Billy Wainwright for helping us find a solution that respects the character of the Cenotaph area while keeping the seating safe and usable for everyone.