A NEW badge has been designed to celebrate Coventry’s iconic ring road and its new status as a cultural hub.
Aaron Ashmore, owner of badge makers Etch & Pin, is commemorating symbols of the city’s history by depicting them on his range of collectible pin badges.
He said he hopes his newest limited edition design will show people being ‘sent to Coventry’ is now something to be proud of.
He said Coventry, like the ring road, is often misunderstood and undervalued. But now times are changing.
His ‘sent to Coventry’ pin badge is aimed at honouring the city’s two-mile ring road which is set to celebrate its 45th anniversary in September next year.
The words ‘sent to Cov’ are encompassed by a graphic of the historic ring road which was completed in 1974.
The 34-year-old said: “Parts of the Coventry ring road have recently had significant upgrades.
“So now work is completed, it is a perfect time to memorialise it with a special pin badge.
“There is often the impression that everyone dislikes the ring road, however a recent survey said that more Coventry people loved the ring road, than hated it.”
The ring road was a central part of the city’s post-Second World War redevelopment following the Blitz bombings in 1940.
The road took nearly 14 years to build and cost around £14.5million.
It is reviled by some in the region as unsightly, dangerous and notoriously difficult to navigate.
But others recognise it as an iconic part of Coventry’s history.
As part of the bid for UK City of Culture 2021, the ring road was imprinted with a 2-mile-long poem which became a centrepiece for the triumphant campaign.
The new badge was launched on August 1 and is the second of a series of monthly pin badges launched by the Coventry business.
Aaron said: “We were overwhelmed with the response to the first badge, our initial stock sold out in one week, and hope the second badge proves just as popular.”
Etch & Pin donate £1 from every badge sold to a different local charity each month.
Nearly £250 was raised for Coventry Myton Hospice in July from the ‘It’s a batch’ badge – commemorating the age-old expression used to describe a bread bun.
It is partnering with Free Radio’s Cash For Kids campaign in August which raises money to help disadvantaged children across the West Midlands.
Tom Reeves, charity fundraising executive at Free Radio Cash For Kids said: “We are delighted to be chosen to be the charity of the month for August’s pin badge.
“We hope local people will snap them up knowing £1 from each one sold will benefit the one in three children in Coventry living in poverty.”
The badges can bought at: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EtchAndPin and suggestions for future Coventry badges can be made via the Etch and Pin Twitter page @EtchandPin.
