A Place to Remember

In December, New Hope was thrilled to receive over £3,000 of funding from Watford Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Grants to open a memorial garden space in the grounds of St Mary’s Church.

Over 30 years ago, it was in the grounds of St Mary’s Church that the idea of New Hope came to be, so there could be no better location for a welcoming and peaceful garden area in which New Hope service users, staff, volunteers and members of the public can spend time in remembrance of people with experiences of homelessness who passed away. Matthew, our CEO, said “The Garden of Remembrance will be located in the grounds of the location where New Hope's story began, providing a pleasant and peaceful environment for all who visit. We hope that this new memorial garden will provide a meaningful and comforting space for reflection and remembrance for all members of the community.”

Once completed, the memorial garden will be a paved area featuring a bench, a hand-carved stone sculpture (whose previous home was the Community Market Garden), and a pair of small apple trees – we look forward to sharing more images with you as the project takes shape.

A mock-up of the completed garden

We are truly grateful to Watford Borough Council for the funding to make this project a reality and to the Diocese of St Albans and St Mary’s Church for granting the development of this community space.