A project to highlight people's memories of Warwick whilst improving the look of the town centre has been unveiled this week.

Our Warwick, an initiative organised by Warwick Town Council, encouraged people to submit their memorable moments from over the years, so they can now be displayed in vacant units in the town centre.

The resulting displays have now been installed in the windows of the currently vacant 16-18 High Street premises, giving residents and visitors the opportunity to see people's special memories of the town.

The project is part of the Warwick Town Vision, launched earlier this year, which included improving the vibrancy and attractiveness of the town centre as part of its aims.

Kelly Scott, Warwick Town Centre manager, said: "The inspiration for Our Warwick came from a presentation I delivered to the Warwick Society earlier this year, where it became apparent how strong the community spirit is in Warwick, how proud people are to be from Warwick, and how Warwick Town Centre is a place for sharing stories and memories. The idea of asking people to submit their memories on postcards was a nod to our visitors and tourists, as if people are 'writing home' about Warwick.

"We had a great response from people who currently live in Warwick and from those who have moved away. People seemed to love sharing their memories with us. A popular memory was the Warwick Carnival - and we even managed to get a former Carnival Queen to share her memory with us."

Our Warwick, an initiative organised by Warwick Town Council, encouraged people to submit their memorable moments from over the years, so they can now be displayed in vacant units in the town centre (image supplied)

People were asked to submit a positive memory of Warwick Town Centre in 100 words or less, along with their first name and age.

Those memories have now been compiled by Warwick Town Council and displayed on a specially-designed board that features the town's famous landmarks, including the Lord Leycester, Warwick Market Hall Museum, Smith Street, Hill Close Gardens and more.

Memories submitted hark back to major occasions such as the Warwick Mop Fair, the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, military parades and the annual Victorian Evening, as well as locations in the town centre such former shops, the Market Square and St Nicholas Park.

The display, which was unveiled this week, will also feature a QR code linked to the town council website which translates the memories into other languages for tourists visiting the town from other countries.

Contributors included Brian Shirley, who has since moved away from Warwick, but spoke of his fond memories of the town, saying: "I'm absolutely thrilled to share my memory with the people of Warwick, thanks for giving me the chance to tell my story."

Warwick resident Joy Coop added: "I am born and bred in Warwick, I am very proud of it and anything to do with Warwick I am happy to share."

The resulting displays have now been installed in the windows of the currently vacant 16-18 High Street premises (image supplied)

The town council worked with the landlord and estate agents of 16-18 High Street to display the boards in its windows, while also allowing people to see inside the historic premises with its huge potential for the right business.

Kelly said: "Vacant premises is an issue all town centres face, and while they are largely out of our control, our Town Vision included clear plans to try to take action to improve them.

"It has been an absolute pleasure sitting down with people and hearing their stories about Warwick, but the project also forms a valuable part of our work with landlords and estate agents to try and fill vacant units with artwork and displays to ensure that whilst vacant they remain attractive to all who use the town centre."