friends of
Central Park Haworth
HISTORIC ENGLAND – Grade 2 Listed Park
Green Flag Award – Outstanding Park
About Friends of Central Park, Haworth
The 2026 Committee
Please welcome the Friends of Central Park Haworth committee for 2026. You can contact the committee by emailing friends@haworthpark.com
What we do
Fundraising. We raised £85,000 for a replacement Bandstand and we raised funds to install the memory garden.
Activities and Events. We help keep the park looking great through initiatives such as the Wednesday Weeding Club and we organise and facilitate some of the events in the park.
The Memory Garden
We raised funds to turn the defunct flower nursery into a memory garden and commissioned local sculptor Craig Dyson to create the beautiful metal wing upon which it is encouraged to add padlocks in memory of loved ones.
Another local man, Gavin Thornton made the arched sign at the gateway of the garden.
The memory garden’s stone benches were donated by the family of local stonemason Piers Buchannon. Here’s their story, written by Piers’ mother, Jill.
“My fondness for Haworth Central Park dates back to 1972 when our family moved to Stone Lea, the house next to the memory garden.
When my son Piers became a stone mason he was asked by Bradford council to make benches for Broadway in Bradford.
Sadly, I lost my son aged 20 to a fatal motor bike accident. When the council were removing these benches, his brother Damian asked if we could have them. They agreed, and as a family we gave the benches to the park for the memory garden.
Piers would be so pleased that his brother rescued them and that they were placed next door to his home as when children they played in there. He would also be delighted that Gavin Thornton from Stanbury made the sign for the memory garden as they were good friends as they too played in the park together many times.
It is a lovely place to sit and think of loved ones you have lost.”
The memory garden’s arched gateway with the beautiful wing sculpture and masoned stone bench in the background – all made by local craftsmen.
Friends for 20 Years!
2026 marked the 20th anniversdary of the founding of the Friends of Central Park, Haworth group.
We threw a Picnic in the Park to celebrate our achievements over the years and we surprised hard working founder members Gillian and Peter Hill with a Lifetime Membership and a bouquet in recognition of, and to express our gratitude for, their dedication and devotion to our beautiful park.
Gillian and Peter are stepping back slightly after two decades of fundraising, campaigning and being pivotal in everything to do with the friends group, but they’ve promised to keep in touch and we wish them every second of enjoyment in their ‘semi-retirement’!
Thank you Peter and Gillian. From all of us.
How you can get involved
Become a Friend of Central Park Haworth
Friends of Central Park Haworth can serve on the committee but you don’t have to be a paid-up ‘friend’ to help out with Wednesday Weeders, to put forward suggestions and help in campaigns, to raise funds for us or to take part in and help organise events.
Join us… we’d love more people, especially from the local community, to become friends and be a part of the success and history of our beautiful green flag heritage park.
