Tucked away in a quiet park in Paisley there is a woman who is patiently preparing a plot of land to act as a gathering spot for bereaved pet owners to come together and remember their lost loved ones.
Majella Carter is in the process of setting up a memorial garden in Barshaw Park so that our animal friends can be honoured after they’ve passed on.
The project is part of a broader transformation of the park that is currently underway thanks to the RHS Community Grant scheme, which was won by the Friends of Barshaw Park to create a community garden.
Majella, who owns the Westend Beauty salon on Well Street, was inspired to create the memorial garden after the death of her two dogs, Junior and Buddy who died four weeks apart at the end of 2019.
She said: “It absolutely broke my heart, I miss them terribly. I made a wee miniature memorial garden for them outside my back door but I thought it would be nice to have on a bigger scale for other people because our pets are just such a big part of our family nowadays.
"And when they pass away, they kind of get forgotten about, so I thought it would be nice to have somewhere to go and remember them and celebrate them.”
Majella hopes to have the garden open in about two months time.
It’s located next to the community garden and Majella aims to install a gated entrance which she will open morning and night for pet owners to come in and spend some time together chatting, exercising their dogs, and remembering their pets.
“I think that would be a lovely way to bring us pet lovers together through the love and the loss of our wee animals," added Majella.
"I feel it might be a good thing for smaller children too, young kids, their dogs or cats or whatever it may be are like their best friend in the whole world and then when they pass away obviously they’re quite upset."
Pet owners will be able to leave a memento for their pet in the garden, such as a tag, collar, or other ornaments.
Majella is currently looking for support from the community to make the garden a reality.
She needs help with digging, erecting fence posts, and helping create seating areas.
She said willing volunteers should get in touch with the Friends of Barshaw Park by emailing barshaw.friends@gmail.com
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