Pop-up memory garden to remember a loved one
Maillards Funeral Directors has on three separate occasions organised and run a Memory Garden.
On each occasion the Maillards Celebrating Life Memory Garden was based in St Helier and invited members of the public to come down and write a memory on a leaf and add it to the memorial tree.
On the first occasion the pop-up was officially opened by the Connétable of St Helier – Simon Crowcroft.
The project was supported by Buckley and Company Limited, Office Plus, JJ Fox Trading, The Parish of St Helier and St Helier Parks and Gardens.
Simon Gale, Director at Buckley and Company Limited
“We are delighted to support this inspiring project, which celebrates life. In light of the difficulties we have all suffered over the course of the last 16 months, community initiatives like this seem particularly relevant and welcome.”
People are kindly asked to make a donation of £1 to add a memory to the tree. All donations will go to the Maillards Make-A-Wish fund, a community fund set up and run by Maillards to fund special wishes for local people, to benefit their mental, emotional and social wellbeing. To learn more about Maillards Make-A-Wish, please visit www.celebratinglife.je.
In 2021 visitors were able to purchase a copy of Maillards’ most recent community project at the time, a book titled ‘Voices from the Occupation’, which was on sale throughout the week. Penny Byrne, its creator hosted a book signing.
Mark Reynolds
Owner, Maillards Funeral Directors
Mark Reynolds, Owner, Maillards Funeral Directors “I am thrilled to announce the opening of the first ever Maillards Celebrating Life Memory Garden. The project forms part of Maillards Celebrating Life, a community initiative supporting local people and charities. We hope it will give an opportunity for local people to remember a loved one in a relaxed atmosphere. As Funeral Directors, we not only help families mourn a death, but also celebrate the life they have lived. We hope that this Celebrating Life initiative will help people to talk about a loved one they have lost and more widely open up the conversation around death, which can understandably be very difficult.”
Maillards Funeral Directors is launching their Second ‘Celebrating Life Memory Garden’ in St.Helier.
Carol-Ann & Roger Volunteers.
“Carol-Ann and Roger thank everyone at Maillard’s and Mark Reynolds for choosing The Special Care Baby Unit for benefitting from the Christmas Memory Garden as they have fundraised for the unit since the birth of their daughter Alexis in 1999, born prematurely at 28 weeks.”
Maillards Funeral Directors is launching their third ‘Celebrating Life Memory Garden’ in St.Helier this week at 31 Queen Street.
Maillards, Jersey’s only independent family owned funeral directors this week launches its third instalment of their Celebrating Life Memory Garden – a community initiative in its second year. The pop-up’s purpose is to give members of the public an opportunity to remember a loved one by writing a memory in exchange for a donation for a local charity.
The Maillards chosen charity for this initiative is Dementia Jersey. Previously, the Memory Garden supported SCUBU, raising over £1,500 at Christmas. In its new location at 31 Queen Street (formerly Dorothy Perkins) members of the public can add their memory onto a mock ‘living wall’ whilst surrounded by fresh plants and a beautiful garden setting. Refreshments will be available, along with information about Dementia.
The pop-up will be officially opened by a collaboration between Mark Reynolds (CEO at Elme Group), Connor Burgher (The St.Helier Town Centre Manager) and Claudine Snape (CEO at Dementia Jersey) and attended by special guests on Monday morning at 9:00am.
Maillards would like to thank D2 Real Estate and the Owner of 31 Queen Street, who has donated the use of the shop free of charge.
Mark Reynolds, CEO at Elme Group (which owns Maillards Funeral Directors)
“The opening of our third garden is testament to the success of the last two; the response we have received from the people of Jersey has been overwhelmingly positive, so we felt compelled to continue with our pop-up in 2022. Death still remains a difficult and somewhat taboo topic so our aim is to create a safe and inviting space so that anyone who wishes to remember a loved one, can do, in a relaxing environment.”
Claudine Snape, CEO at Dementia Jersey
“We are delighted to be the chosen charity for this year’s Maillards Memory Garden. Not only does it give islanders an opportunity to remember loved ones and share a memory, but all money raised will go towards our new allotment – a space that will be specially designed with sensory elements where people with dementia who are keen gardeners can visit during spring/summer and continue to do what they have always loved to do.”