 |  | Our 2002 retrospective starts in April as that's when the 大象传媒 Coventry and Warwickshire website was born - and to quite a fanfare (see Meet The Team link, left)! After weeks of hard work, your favourite local website was brought to your desktops and since then, we've grown and grown!
We've covered all the major local events since then - from the Godiva Festival and Shakespeare's Birthday to Bonfire Night, Christmas Light Switch-ons and Diwali and here's your chance to cast your mind back with us.
Read here to take a look back at April to July, then follow the link on the left for Part Two of our review, which takes in August to December.
On the day we were born in 2002, we celebrated two of the most famous Englishmen and both have links with our area. On 23 April, we mark St George's Day and, did you know, there is evidence to point that the dragon slayer was a Coventry kid?
We don't know if it's true, but take a look at our feature (see St George's Day link, left) and make up your own mind.
On the same day, it's Shakespeare's Birthday and every year, Stratford comes alive with a series of events celebrating the Bard's birth.
For a closer look at Shakespeare - who came fifth in the 大象传媒's Great Britons poll - and how we celebrate his birth by following the Shakespeare Index link on the left.
听| 听 |  | Morris Men dance at the Earlsdon Festival
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The May Day Bank Holiday saw the annual Earlsdon Festival (see the link on the left) take place on Hearsall Common for the first time and, despite the festival's controversial move from the High Street, it was one of the best festivals ever!
Vintage cars and steam engines lined up alongside stalls and entertainment of all descriptions and thousands braved a drizzly day to enjoy the fun. After the first Hearsall Common festival proving such a success, organisers are already looking forward to 2003.
Also in May, Ryder Cup fever began at Warwickshire golf club, The Belfry, when members of Europe's team warmed up by competing in the B&H Open. Argentina's Angel Cabrera was the eventual winner, but more joy was on its way for the European golfers!
听As with everywhere else in the country, Coventry went Golden Jubilee mad in June - but while celebrating 50 years of Elizabeth II was important, Coventry's first lady needed some celebrations too and this year's Godiva Festival was interwoven with 大象传媒 Music Live and the Golden Jubilee to make a really special week!
June really was one of the biggest - and busiest - months of the year and although we had an extra Bank Holiday to enjoy being off work, there were so many street parties and celebrations to enjoy and organise, we needed July to recover!
Monday, 3 June, was Golden Jubilee Day (see Jubilee link, left) and the people of Warwickshire really got into the spirit of things. Villagers in Bubbenhall held a procession, while householders in Longford enjoyed a Mad Hatter's Tea Party.
| 听 |  | Mritta Arts in full flight at 大象传媒 Music Live
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In Bedworth people got to jive to 1950s music at special dances - as they did in Nuneaton - while Leamington and Oxhill were home to fun days and Stratford stopped for a day to enjoy a fun fair, war re-enactments and fireworks.
In Coventry, the celebrations focused around the cathedral for 大象传媒 Music Live (see Music Live link, left)- the regional arm of the national celebration of the best in live music. Appearing in Coventry were bands like The Bluetones, Skadivas, Coventry's Bhangra maestro Slinder Pardesi and local dance groups.
The rest of Godiva week saw celebrations galore, including a magnificent parade (see Godiva Procession link, left) in the city centre and the Godiva car run, a procession of classic cars which travelled around Coventry and Warwickshire.
There was also a music festival at the Memorial Park to round of the week with three days of live rock, pop, jazz, Asian underground and blasts from the past, including Showaddywaddy!
听After the celebrations and fun of June, Coventry and Warwickshire was brought down to earth with a bump in July when the Government announced plans to build an airport the size of Heathrow on land between Coventry and Rugby (see Airport link, left).
The plans had many up in arms, particularly those in the villages of Kings Newnham and Church Lawford, who would see their homes obliterated if the plans went ahead, though some welcomed the idea.
| 听 |  | An exhibitor shows off a calf at the Royal Show
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To cheer us up, the annual Royal Show took place at Stoneleigh - the first since the foot and mouth outbreak caused the cancellation of the 2001 show - and it was a roaring success, with the Queen paying a special visit (see Royal Show link, left) in her jubilee year.
The jubilee theme continued in Stratford and Coventry when the Queen's Jubilee Baton (See Baton link, left) was carried through on its way to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Music was a big theme of July as well, as the Global Gathering, Coventry Youth Festival and Warwick Folk Festival took place. Global Gathering saw thousands of blissed-out clubbers descend on Long Marston Airfield for almost 24 hours of music.
Meanwhile, Warwick was home to a number of popular bands and performers as part of the annual festival (see Folk Festival link, left), while the Coventry Youth Festival saw scores of young people cram into the Memorial Park to see the best of local young music talent (see Youth Festival link, left).
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