.png)
The inspiration behind Sweet Meadow Park
My new Liz Davies series, Sweet Meadow Park, is particularly close to my heart, because the park in the book is based on the park where I walk my dog more or less every day. And like the park in the book, the real-life park has an actual house within its grounds, although it's in a considerably better state of repair than Molly's cottage when she first moves in.
There are other similarities, too: a kiosk that sold drinks and snacks that is now boarded up, a children's play area, a central field, and a small woodland. The park used to have a bandstand too, many years ago, and because I love bandstands, I included one in my park.
One major difference is that the real park doesn't have a pond - but I think it should!
Despite the lack of a pond, there is an abundance of wildlife. When the council doesn't mow the grassed areas, in spring and early summer there is an explosion of wildflowers, including meadowsweet for which the park in the book is loosely named. Grey squirrels, rabbits, hedgehogs, and even the occasional fox call the park home, as do several species of birds from woodpeckers to a sparrow hawk. There is no lack of insets, either. Unlike the park in the book, the real park is cared for by an army of council employees, who take pride in keeping it neat and tidy, and unlike the park in the book, the real one is well-loved, well-used and a joy to spend time in.