Bassetlaw Hospital officially opens new rainbow garden to remember those who lost their lives to Covid

On Friday May 27, local health professionals officially opened the ‘rainbow garden’ at Bassetlaw Hospital, a space which is dedicated to the memory of all those who lost their lives to COVID-19.

The event was led by Richard Parker OBE, chief executive of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH), with a number of special guests ranging from those who had donated or helped develop the garden, as well as friends, relatives and loved ones of those who lost their lives to COVID-19.

During the official opening ceremony, a bespoke sculpture created by local artist Kenny Roach was also revealed.

Kenny said: “I was asked to produce a rustic sculpture to remember the friends and loved ones that were lost during recent years but I feel that this artwork is also for everyone no matter what their circumstances are or have been.

“The sculpture itself has been formed as I see it as the circle of life, and within that circle there are so many other things that can be gathered to take some kind of personal solace from this piece of artwork.

“The thorny type branches for instance that run through this artwork represent the troubles and difficulty of our lives.

“I have also placed 12 doves to represent the months of the year and the passage of time.

"I see these doves as gentle caring vehicles being busy transferring the leaves of the olive which are connected to the energies of loved ones and symbolises peace, friendship, and healing through a portal into wherever the individual should wish to imagine.

“Finally, the ivy leaves through the artwork also help our loved ones understand the feeling of not wanting to let go but I feel that this is poignant to us now and certainly for our families and friends of generations to come.”

The rainbow garden project began in June 2020, as colleagues from DBTH, with support from the Trust’s charity, started to fundraise with an ambition to create two beautiful spaces to honour those affected by Covid-19.

In particular, staff wanted an area to remember their colleagues, Kevin Smith, Dr Medhat Atalla, Lorraine Butterfield, Susan Bishop and Tracy Robinson, all of whom passed away from the illness.

Thanks to almost 300 supporters and donations large and small, the project surpassed its fundraising target of £35,000 and raised over £50,000 to create the garden spaces – one at Bassetlaw Hospital, and another at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

The garden was created by John and Carolyn Fox, with support from staff at Anpario, who also made a significant donation of £10,000 to help create the remembrance space.

Jon Sargeant, deputy chief executive at the Trust, said: “The kindness shown to the Trust throughout the pandemic has been truly extraordinary, however the support shown to the creation of a pair of Rainbow Gardens was beyond our expectations and I want to share deep thanks on behalf of everyone at DBTH.

"The resulting space is beautiful and a fitting tribute to those in whose memory it is dedicated.”