It was a tragedy, which then led to the setting up of the reflection garden, how did the idea come about?
Initially, everyone was just in shock and at that point the community just pulled together. People from all over, not just from our small town, started calling to the centre and people left flowers. Scarlett, attended our After School Programme and was a massive part of Larne Community Care Centre with her infectious smile and personality.
What happens then?
The staff who had worked with Scarlett wanted to do something so that she would always be remembered. They discussed various ideas, and the Reflection Garden emerged from those conversations.
We approached her family, and they thought it was a good idea. We then contacted the Housing Executive who were so supportive, and they agreed to help us from the start of the project until the end. They did the designs and brought in gardeners. They completed all work the regarding the path and the walkway. They provided plants and arranged for their gardeners to plant them, as they wanted to be involved for Scarlett and her family. The project took a few months altogether.
Were the family happy with the garden?
Yes, they loved the garden as it is somewhere to sit and reflect. They were involved in the opening of the garden, and they added their own pieces of art, ornaments and lights, which represented Scarlet’s passions.
You want to continue working on a further arts project for this commemorative garden?
We would love to be able to conduct an arts therapy project with the children that knew Scarlett, to give them the chance to create mosaics that remind them of Scarlett and have meaning to them. These pieces would be displayed in the garden. We would hope that this would aid the healing process and bring everyone together
We have an artist who is prepared to work with the children on creating a mosaic and we just need to find some funding for that project.
The big question, at this point in time, is funding?
We would like people to share the information about this project because if we could get the funding for it, it would help the young people here immensely.
Losing one of your friends at such a young age is devastating, as we said earlier, and we want to help the children to keep working through that trauma. We have the beautiful garden, we have the flowers, the artworks and other things which adorn the garden, but the next stage of this project is to produce a commemorative mosaic.
You are also looking for volunteers?
We need help for the upkeep of the reflective garden, so anyone who would be interested in helping us, they should contact the centre.
