Remembering a loved one you have lost is very personal, and as the years go by it is often very difficult to find a unique way to celebrate their lives.
St Barnabas Hospice, through their Forget Me Not appeal are offering the chance for the public to make a donation to the charity and in return, they will receive a beautiful, handcrafted iron Forget Me Not flower.
Amelia Chambers, the Marketing and Communications Manager at St Barnabas Hospice said: “We didn’t really have an item that people could keep in memory of their loved one.”
“What is special about this appeal is people will get to see their forget me not amongst the display at the castle and see that they aren’t alone in remembering their loved ones.”
The flowers will be on display at Lincoln Castle from April 6 to April 21 and will be open to the public to visit. With the help of a landscaper, the display will resemble a natural garden and be a nice, calming place to visit with your family.
Sam Waterer, Individual Giving Fundraiser for the charity said: “The idea came from another hospice who did something along these lines. We’ve developed our own bespoke flower, got the castle on board as a venue and grown it.”
“We wanted our supporters to be able to put their memories into flowers personal to St Barnabas Hospice.”
The public has already taken this campaign to their hearts and love the idea of the flowers and many want to come and see the forget me not’s being installed at Lincoln Castle.
St Barnabas has enlisted help from The Old Smithy blacksmiths located in North Lincolnshire who will be creating each handcrafted flower for the campaign.
Roz and Stefanos who work at The Old Smithy said: “I met Sam from St Barnabas a couple of years ago…she was very impressed with The Old Smithy’s ironwork and later contacted us regarding a Forget Me Not design for the appeal.”
“We were happy to help and honoured that we were chosen to make a bespoke flower for the hospice.”
The event will be given an opportunity for The Old Smithy blacksmiths to showcase their work whilst also supporting a worthwhile local charity.