Claire Purves was one of a group of young mothers whose vision and hard work brought about the restoration of the village’s pocket park. Sadly, she died in a road accident in 2011. It had been her wish that the park should feature a zip wire as its main attraction. The princely sum of £8000 was raised by the efforts of many in Sulgrave and the surrounding villages. Sunday 24th March was chosen as a suitable spring day for the official opening. Unfortunately, the day turned out to be more like midwinter with deep snow and a biting easterly wind. However, undeterred by the conditions a large crowd gathered to remember much missed Claire and watch her children Megan and Jack make the first “flight”. More pictures of this event on the next page.

Julie Russell pays tribute to Claire and all those who made the project possible before declaring the zip wire open and inviting Megan and Jack to make the first flight.