Virtual tributes sought for South Yorkshire hospital’s memorial garden

In November 2020, work started to transform a disused patch of land in the grounds of Rotherham Hospital into the Snowdrop Memorial Garden. After months of planning and a generous £11,557 donation from national charity 4 Louis, the garden has been transformed into a calming and peaceful space.

The Trust’s charity is now inviting people to sponsor a flower via online fundraising platform Visufund. Whether you choose a virtual rose, a tulip or a daisy the funds will enable to the charity to plant real-life flowers and to maintain the garden.

The project was spearheaded by midwives Shahida Mehrban and Hayley Lea who hoped to provide a tranquil space for parents who have sadly lost a baby. However, the garden will be open for all colleagues, patients, families and members of the community who need it.

Shahida Mehrban, a Bereavement Specialist Midwife at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’ve always felt that a memorial garden for people to pay their respects to loved ones would be a wonderful addition to Rotherham Hospital so it’s rewarding to see it finally completed after months of planning and hard work.

“We now need the public’s support to help the Rotherham Hospital and Community Charity to fund its upkeep, which will include regularly planting flowers. We want it to look and feel beautiful all year round and hopefully for generations to come.”

The memorial garden is one of just two in Yorkshire funded by 4 Louis, which works nationally to support anyone affected by miscarriage, the death of a baby or child.

It includes a hornbeam hedge around the exterior to provide privacy, a weeping cherry blossom memorial tree in the centre, benches, flowering shrubs, flowers and plants.

In future, the Trust will use the garden to mark national events such as Baby Loss Awareness Week in October and Remembrance Sunday in November.

Visufund is an online fundraising platform which allows donors to contribute to Rotherham Hospital and Community Charity’s virtual flower garden. Individual roses, tulips and daisies can be sponsored from as little as £2. To find out more and to donate visit https://visufund.com/snowdropmemorialgarden.

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