On Monday 17 July, Cllr Diana Garrod, Chairman of Braintree District Council, officially opened a new ‘Forget Me Not’ Memorial Garden located within Bocking Cemetery.
Braintree District Council appointed contractors Wynne-Williams Associates who designed the garden and Southern Landscaping and Construction Ltd, undertook the works.
Members of the community, involved in designing features to help create a tranquil setting to provide a peaceful and pleasant place for relatives and visitors of all ages to remember their loved ones, also attended on the day.
The garden includes a children’s area with hand carved wooden sculptures by locally based Andrew Butcher and a willow dome created by local artist Deb Hart, that visitors can tie a coloured ribbon to in memory of their loved ones. Local school children from Bocking Primary School painted cobble stones and a hand carved wood entrance sign was donated by Cressing Community Shed.
There is also a parents’ area with benches that memorial plaques can be fixed to, a honed granite engraved entrance sign donated by Bradford Memorials and a tree donated by Paul J King Funeral Directors.
The garden includes a granite centre piece donated by J Day and Son Ltd Memorial Masons, a mix of native flora and fauna sustainable planting, a bug hotel to help increase biodiversity, as well as plenty of space for memorial shrubs.
Furthermore, there is a memorial wall for fixed plaques and a variety of planting areas which can be purchased by grieving families and friends to create their own space in memory of someone they have lost.
Cllr Diana Garrod, Chairman of Braintree District Council said, “There is no easy way to deal with grief and I hope this memorial garden will help people feel closer to their loved ones and enable them to pay tribute to their life and honour them in their own special way.”
Cllr Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Transformation, the Environment and Customer Services at Braintree District Council said: “This new memorial garden is a very special place that residents can visit to reflect in a serene environment and remember their loved ones. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in the creation of the Forget Me Not Memorial Garden for their contributions and generous donations.”
The total investment from Braintree District Council was £100,854 that funded the cost of the1,575 sq. meter Forget Me Not Garden.
For more information visit the council’s webpage: www.braintree.gov.uk/forgetmenot