Christchurch City Council wants locals to share Lancaster Park memories

In advance of the demolition of Christchurch’s Lancaster Park stadium, the City Council and Vbase, the venue management company that owns the venue, are inviting residents to send in photographs or illustrations that capture their memories of the former AMI Stadium.

The images will then be featured on signage that will be up around the site before, and during, its upcoming demolition.

Vbase General Manager Darren Burden explains “Lancaster Park has been the site of many amazing sports clashes over the years with some of the country’s biggest sporting names competing on the hallowed turf.

“It has also hosted some top concerts over the years. We’re sure plenty of these magic moments will have been caught on camera over the years, or maybe people might like to put pen to paper as a way of remembering a special moment they had at the stadium.”

Burden said the stadium held a special place in many Cantabrians’ hearts and this was another way of saying thanks for the memories before saying a final goodbye to it.

He added “it’s a large site and the deconstruction will take at least a year to complete so this is a great opportunity for residents to share their experiences and memories with others. We can’t wait to see what people come up with.”

All entries for the signage competition must be received by Friday 22nd December with the signage expected to be erected by mid-February 2018.

Earlier this year, the Council and Vbase offered community and sporting groups the opportunity to acquire parts of the stadium before it is demolished. The most sought after item was seats. After all the requests had been met, the Council offered the seats for sale to the wider public.

The Council has received requests for more than 20,000 seats. So far, 8,300 seats have been collected and rehoused across Canterbury and New Zealand from as far away as Te Puke to Balclutha.

As well as seats, community and sporting groups have also requested other items from the stadium, including rugby gear, lighting tower heads, roller doors, display cabinets, showers and toilets. Removal of these other items will take place over the next six weeks. Community and sporting groups who have asked for these items will be contacted over the coming months.

The main deconstruction of Lancaster Park stadium is expected to begin by March 2018 and will take 12 to 14 months to complete.

Image: Bon Jovi in concert at Lancaster Park in 2009. Image courtesy of Vbase. 

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