The new ‘Believe Memorial Garden’, created to honour those who donated organs, officially opened at Cardiff Crematorium in Thornhill, on December 1st.
The garden, which is the passion project of Anna-Louise Bates, founder of the charity Believe Organ Donation Support (Believe ODS), will provide a space to pay tribute to organ donors and offer their loved ones a place to remember them.
Throughout the garden, handprints of inspirational people and celebrities who have worked with Believe ODS are on display, including British adventurer Bear Grylls, Welsh footballer Sophie Ingle, and actress Ruth Jones.
The garden will also be a place to celebrate and commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the passing of the Human Transplantation Act, which set in law that organ donation consent is presumed unless a person has opted out.
Anna-Louise Bates, founder of Believe ODS, said: “When my son passed away, his organ donations gave four people a second chance at life. Knowing that four lives have been saved because of him is truly remarkable. It inspired me to set up Believe ODS, with the aim of raising awareness about organ donation and dispelling myths and misunderstandings around it.
“The Believe Memorial Garden will help to honour all organ donors, as well as bringing organ donation back into the public eye and educating people on it, especially the misconceptions. It will be a place where families can feel supported and remember their loved ones, while also inspiring others to consider the life-saving impact of organ donation.”
The memorial garden features an 82-metre length heart, which will be viewed on Google Maps and from flight paths, with the mounds reflecting kidneys and a liver. At its centre, there is a memory bowl where families can lay memory stones from candles inscribed with the initials of their loved ones.
Other key partners have also played a significant role in bringing the memorial garden to life including Sacyr UK, the contractor delivering the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC). Sacyr was an early supporter of the garden, introducing several of its subcontractors to support the project, which has helped strengthen the garden both aesthetically and structurally.
Heidelberg Materials donated natural stone boulders will house the celebrity handprints, while Davies Cranes provided a crane and specialist lifting equipment to safely position the donated concrete bench and the life-size pebble from Nulla Carbo Fabrica.
MS Group has also played an important part in shaping the final vision for the garden, delivering specialist design features that define the garden’s identity and bringing the concept to life and groundworks began by the Tredomen Group.
Anna-Louise thanked these companies for their help: “The support we have received has been amazing. Sacyr and its supply chain partners have continued to pull in further support, all with the shared aim of giving back to the local community and enhancing the quality and character of the memorial garden and for that I will be eternally grateful.”
The charity has also partnered with Kent based Freely Fruity, which is providing Welsh fruit trees and bushes to the garden. The charity will be working with local schools to encourage them to grow their own trees for an annual ‘Transplant a Tree’ day where the trees and bushes will be moved to the memorial garden.
Believe Organ Donation Support was founded in 2015 by Anna-Louise Bates following a road accident that took the lives of her husband and son, Stuart and Fraser, in 2015. Anna decided to donate Stuart and Fraser’s organs to those who needed them. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of organ donation, keeping the issue in the public eye and educating people on the common misconceptions.
Other attendees included Senedd Member Julie Morgan MS and former Welsh football international and UEFA Ex Co member Professor Laura McAllister CBE.
Organ transplant recipients will also be at the opening, including ten-year old Roman who received Anna-Louise’s son Fraser’s heart.
Cardiff Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Bereavement Service, Cllr Norma Mackie, who’s choir performed at the opening, said: “It’s wonderful to be able to support this project and host the new Believe Memorial Garden at Northern Cemetery.
“Organ donors give an incredible gift to others. The garden offers an important opportunity to learn about organ donation, as well as offering a quiet space for people who have benefitted from a donation, and families whose loved ones have donated their organs, to reflect and to remember.”
