Friends of Emsworth Memorial Garden

It has been rewarding for everyone concerned to see the Armistice Day Service in the Memorial Garden grow from an isolated sculpture with Virginia Wilson-Smith leading a short service in her full foul weather kit, to a dignified service in an established garden attracting a large congregation of all ages. It is heartening to have so many people in the community coming together to make it the event it has become, and a respectful place to honour the Fallen. 

Members of the committee share the organising of the day – our chairman Lulu Bowerman, Maurice Clarke, Pam Palmer and me. This includes liaising with the Church, the Army, the Police, the Fire Service, the Mayor’s office and schools; booking the bugler, sorting out a PA system, publicity, and printing the service sheets. 

But a garden is a garden all year, and the rest of the year has its challenges…. 

The Friends are responsible for maintaining the raised bed, hedges and general appearance of the garden, and have a maintenance session at 10 a.m. on the second Monday of the month.

Norse have always come up trumps for November 11, to help the Friends prepare the garden for the service.  They supply (and take away the filled) purple plastic bags for all our maintenance sessions, and permanently removed the flooding from the garden by installing a permeable path on the recreation ground side of the garden.  They are also responsible for the grass and pavers.

Unfortunately, Norse have struggled to maintain their side of the bargain through the rest of the year. The Friends are now in the position of being unable to continue after the end of this year, due to reducing numbers and increasing age and infirmity. We desperately need younger people to join us. 

If you can help with gardening, please email me sandersongardens@hotmail.com, whether you can come on a Monday morning or not.  We may need to change the day and time, depending on who is available when. 

If you can’t help with gardening but would like to help and support the garden, please email all three Emsworth Councillors:  cllr.grainne.rason@havant.gov.uk,   cllr.reuben.mychaleckyj@havant.gov.uk, and cllr.charles.robert@havant.gov.uk with your thoughts and concerns.

(The Memorial Garden is in the corner of the Recreation Ground nearest to Emsworth).

For more photos see The Gallery.

Sarah Sanderson