A children’s charity has planted the seeds for a major fundraising and awareness campaign that it hopes will grow into a meadow of memories.

The Children’s Bereavement Centre in Newark helps young people – many in Mansfield and Ashfield – affected by death and terminal illness.

It wants the Meadow Of Memories’ Daisy Remembrance Campaign to enable young people and their families to come together to remember and celebrate the lives of those they love and have lost.

The campaign also aims to raise money to allow the charity to continue its work.

The daisies — ornamental metal daisies — will feature in an exhibition in Newark Castle Grounds, from 23rd to 25th October, subject to coronavirus social distancing restrictions.

The charity hopes the exhibition will allow children and their families to sit alongside the flowers for a moment of quiet reflection, remembrance and, for some people, the chance to say goodbye.

The charity said: “By getting involved, you will not only be joining together with others to remember those special people who have died, but you will also help to ensure that thousands of grieving families get the specialist support they need now and in the future.”

People can support the Daisy Campaign by dedicating a virtual or ornamental daisy to a loved one in the Meadow of Memories through a donation.
A donation of £25 is suggested for the metal ornamental daisy.

It will then be planted alongside others in Newark Castle Grounds. People can visit the site at any time to see the meadow grow as others join the campaign and remember their loved ones.

At the end of the exhibition, people can collect their daisy to place in their own garden or give to someone as a gift.

At this point personal messages can be placed inside the stem of the daisies as the daisy head can be removed.

Those who do not want an ornamental daisy can join an online meadow of memories. For a suggested amount of £6 people can dedicate a daisy in the virtual Meadow Of Memories on the Children’s Bereavement Centre website.

Go to childrensbereavementcentre.co.uk/daisy-campaign to find out more.

Bereavement centre patron Jay McGuiness, member of band The Wanted and a winner of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, said: “This daisy remembrance campaign is an imaginative fundraiser and one I am proud to support as patron of this amazing charity.

“Not only is it an opportunity for us to remember and celebrate the loved ones we have sadly lost, but it is a fantastic way to support them with a donation, as all of their services are offered free of charge.

“Just £25 could pay for a child to attend a play therapy session, so let’s all dig deep and get behind this campaign to ensure the centre is there to support your children when they need it most.”

The charity said a daisy was seen as a symbol of hope and innocence.

“The links we have to our family and those we love make us who we are, make us stronger, and when someone we love dies it can sometimes feel like a link in the chain is broken.

“But it isn’t. Remembering those we love is the key to maintaining a strong chain — just because you can’t touch a link doesn’t mean it’s not there.

“During recent weeks not just families, but whole communities, all affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, have come together to support one another as never before.

“We hope our Daisy Remembrance Campaign will do the same. The daisy can be interwoven and linked together to make a chain.

“It’s the perfect flower to bring us all together in a shared grief and remembrance of our lost loved ones, whether recently due to the pandemic or over the years and decades past, the comfort we feel from our memories never fades.

“This simple flower is also a symbol of hope and innocence. Hope for the future, a new day and more peaceful times ahead and for the innocence of our children who have been affected by the death of someone they love.”