[WillowTheWhisp]

You have just come up with some far better suggestions than the 'official' artistic ones we were offered.

However, not being a local you wouldn't realise the the monument is close to the edge at the front of the Coppice so you couldn't have it in the centre of something but you could certainly have it as the focal point of something semi-circular. Your bench and shelter suggestions sound good but the trees would apparently present another problem as the top soil is too thin for the native species which is why they planted those hideous things which are currently there. I'm told that if it had been left bare then even more top soil would have eroded away. I still don't like them though.

But would like to see something similar to what you have described for the monument benches and shelter though. Maybe we should have a design competition for local residents.

Mind you when they had a design competition for a new Coat of Arms 30 odd years ago when Hyndburn was formed I won that and then they decided not to bother using it!