On Sunday 25th September Enfield residents are invited to an informal drop-in event in Enfield Town Park to learn about the progress of a "living memorial" to local people who have been lost during the Covid pandemic.
The memorial project, marking the collective loss and bereavement of the people of Enfield, is being facilitated by Enfield Soroptimists, working with artist Joe Robinson and supported by Enfield Council and a wide range of local groups and businesses.
The memorial will take the form of a glade of trees in a heart-shaped formation more than 30 metres wide surrounding an artwork representing a phoenix. The trees were planted in March and have survived this summer's drought.
Drop-in event on Sunday 25th September between 12.30 and 4pm
A chance to find out more about the project, chat with the organisers about it and look at the plans. There will be a marquee set up close to the park café with its facilities and refreshments.
Maps showing the layout of the trees and their location within Town park
The formal inauguration of the memorial (date not yet announced) will be centered on a fire sculpture, which will also represent a phoenix, providing a symbolic point of letting go. The image of the phoenix offers an open idea of acceptance of simultaneous loss and renewal. The permanent phoenix sculpture will represent the same symbol for future visitors to see as they visit the park. It provides a way of acknowledging our loss and a means of processing the trauma of individuals losing loved ones.
Can’t attend the dropin event but want to support the memorial?
This project is reliant on funding raised from the public and from organisations who wish to support it. The organisers are still looking for the final bit of funding to complete the work - you can help by contributing to the GoFundMe crowdfunder.
Enfield Soroptimists and the Enfield Living Memorial
The Soroptimists are a women’s organisation focused on educating, enabling and empowering women world-wide. Building on a member's link with a local artist the Enfield Soroptimists group decided to follow the lead set by a tree memorial project in Liverpool with a version of the same concept for Enfield, which is now the Enfield Living Memorial.
The desire to do this not only reflected on meeting a need to think about those lost during the pandemic but also to commemorate 100 years of the Soroptimists by remembering the first major project in 1921, which saved a forest of giant redwoods being threatened by lumber companies. The centenary activity is focussed on planting trees and the Soroptimist club of Enfield decided to follow that theme by working to facilitate the Enfield memorial.
