Children's Bereavement Centre Meadow of Memories opens to public at Newark Castle
The long-awaited Children’s Bereavement Centre Meadow of Memories will finally come into bloom at Newark Castle this weekend.
The display of hundreds of daisies, all of which have been donated by the public in memory of lost loved ones, will be available to visit before being taken home for people to enjoy in their own home and garden.
It is open on Saturday and Sunday, from 10am until 4pm.
Fundraising manager Rachel Wilson said: “We have been genuinely overwhelmed with how many people have come forward to support our daisy campaign.
“Whether they have donated for one of our beautiful daisies, knitted/crocheted/crafted a daisy chain, volunteered their time to help us out at the event or created/ donated many of the essential items we needed to make this happen we are eternally grateful.
“This is the third time we have attempted to organise the Daisy Memory of Memories exhibit and we are delighted that it can, at last, go ahead.
“The last 15 months have been such a difficult time for us all and we hope that people will come along to visit the exhibit, to take a moment out of their busy lives to pause and have a moment of peace and reflection.
“Not only will they be remembering and celebrating the lives of their loved ones, but they will also be helping to ensure that thousands of grieving families get the specialist support they need, now and in the future. A heartfelt thank you to everyone that has supported us.”
There will be three scrolls of remembrance featuring all the names of the people being remembered, which have been handcrafted by Seb Woloszyn, a carpentry and joinery student at Newark College.
Not only will the Castle grounds will be in bloom, but the town will also be covered in yellow and white flowers as railings and shops are decorated with knitted and crocheted daisy chains, which have all been created and donated following an appeal on social media.
There will also be a competition on ShopNewark.online so keep your eyes peeled for the hidden daisies on their website www.shopnewark.online/.
As well as the Meadow of Memories, there will be a beautiful bespoke metal sculpture of an adult and child holding hands, specially created by local artist Phil Neal.
Phil has created many stunning pieces, including the memorial sculpture recently installed at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln.
Visitors are also encouraged to take along a ribbon to tie on to the memory installation to remember their loved ones. There will also be bunting on which people can write their messages and comments.
Hopefully, by the end of the weekend the memory installation will be an array of colour and full of messages of love and heartfelt memories.
It is also possible to donate for a daisy at the event and after, subject to availability.
The centre’s Young Amb-assador group will be playing their part by organising a stone painting activity for younger visitors, and their decorated stones can be taken away.
There will be live music from professional trumpeter John Barker.
His professional career started at 22, performing at The Hippodrome London, and more recently has performed at Kensington Palace London and The ICC Birmingham. In 1996 he played on the film soundtrack to The Full Monty, and has worked with artists such as Dina Carroll, Jimmy James, and the Vagabonds.
The event, sponsored by Eden Hall Day Spa, is being managed to be covid secure and social distancing and track and trace measures will be in operation.