A tranquil area of beauty created by a team of volunteers from The People’s Project was launched in Castledykes Park on Saturday.
The Dumfries Covid Memorial Garden, in an area above the Sunken Gardens, has been transformed from a neglected area of the 11.5 acres park into a floral place for people to sit, pause and reflect on 15 months of history which have impacted on everyone in many ways.
Dumfries Lions Club donated two benches, inmates from Dumfries Prison created planters and bug hotels, and the council provided perennials, mulch and bark.
The People’s Project and Tesco Extra funded a plaque which was unveiled by Mark Jardine yesterday and inscribed with the words “For our Today and Tomorrow. This is a quiet place to reflect on what we have lost, what we have learned and what we now realise is important in our lives.”
Anne Simpson of The People’s Project, and organiser of the restoration of Castledykes Park, said: “During the pandemic, many people have lost loved ones, others have lost jobs, relationships, their education and we wanted this memorial to reflect this.”
A retired headteacher, she said it was also there for “the children who return to the park as adults and tell their own children about the time when they were taught at home, had to wear masks to school, the shops were all closed, we could not see our families and friends for a long time.
“The Covid Memorial Garden is now a beautiful place where all people can sit quietly with their thoughts and memories or simply come to enjoy.”
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