Fylde Mark Lodge at Lytham Forget-Me-Not Memorial Garden |
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| There can truly be no greater sadness than losing a child. The unfulfilled potential, the love lost, a life not lived at all...... |
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| These thoughts perhaps prompted Fylde Borough Council, in collaboration with Blue Skies Hospital Fund and Blackpool and Preston Sands Group, to build this wonderful Forget-Me-Not Garden, to provide a place where families on the Fylde Coast can gather in quiet reflection, and in memory of their lost children, who were either stillborn or suffered neonatal death. | |
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Ernie Gavan, Keith Beardmore, Peter Green & Mike Casey |
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Keith meets the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress |
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Fylde Mark Lodge donated this wonderful bench |
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| Fylde Mark Lodge, prompted primarily by Rory and Mrs Maskell, decided to donate a wonderful bench to the garden, comprising of a very large single wooden seat, supported by legs which contain pebbles with the names of lost children painted in bright colours. The Mayor of Fylde, Councillor Peter Hardy and his wife, officially opened the garden, and many Council, Hospital and Sands representatives spoke, and read poems which were very touching. The parents of deceased children then placed copper memorial leaves on the main Memorial Tree, designed by local designer Philippe Handford. There was not a dry eye in the garden. The Fylde Mark Lodge was sincerely thanked for the bench, which has pride of place in the garden. |
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And the members make use of it! |
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Mark Masonry doing good deeds in the community |
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Pebbles in memory of the children who have passed away |
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| The reception at the Town Hall afterwards was a really nice end to the opening, and gave everyone a chance to express their appreciation of what had been achieved by all those involved in this special project. The members of Fylde Mark Lodge can be rightly proud of their part in the day, and their part in the future of this wonderful memorial garden. | |
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| A lovely setting to pause and remember | |
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Wild flowers surround the garden |
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| The Memorial Tree is the centrepiece of this garden | |
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Local dignitaries open the Garden |
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| Parents hang the first memorial leaves | |
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PGM Keith Beardmore with Andrew Dickson who represented Wyre Council |
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Words and pictures by Giles |
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