On Tuesday 18th March we brought together people in and around Godalming to the community garden to plant in loving memory of someone they have lost.

 

 

It was a glorious sunny early spring day, perfect for planting in the two special raised beds, one we recently built specially for memorial plants. Many people joined us to plant for a loved one they are grieving for.

 

 

Some people are recently bereaved and others came to plant in memory of someone who died a while ago. Some planted for people who are already memorialised at the cemetery either in the garden of remembrance, or with graves in the burial ground.

 

 

We have been keen to utilise the accessible raised bed we built in the summer of 2023 so with funding from Voluntary action Southwest Surrey we were able to organise an event that we hoped would reach older people who may not find it so easy to crouch and reach the ground for planting in the garden, as well as wheelchair users. Lynn was our first wheelchair user to plant in the accessible raised bed!

 

 

Having chatted to the people who use the warm hub in the next door church, St Marks, who are mostly retired people, we realised that bereavement is a common topic of conversation. From these conversations came the idea to hold an event to plant in memory of those we have loved and lost.

 

 

We wrote notes on special seed paper to remember our loved ones. It felt like a special way to come together to both celebrate and mourn the lives of loved ones. We plan to have future memorial plantings so more people can take part.

 

 

There were tears and also laughter. After planting we sat together for tea and the most delicious homemade cake in the glorious spring sunshine. It was both sad and joyous. Also, hopefully, cathartic.

 

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