Couple excited to see memorial tree plans reach final stages

A TREE sculpture to remember babies lost through stillbirth and neonatal death will be installed in Henley early this year.

The project was started by Hannah and Jordan Greenwood, who lost their daughter Isabella in July 2020 and have a leaf engraved on a memorial tree on Ray Island in Maidenhead, but the space is now full.

The couple, who live in central Henley, launched a campaign a year ago to raise £16,000 for its installation, which will be in the Sue Ryder Woodland at 40 Acre Field, off Pack and Prime Lane.

It was approved by the town council after other locations were looked at including Gillotts Corner Field in Gillotts Lane. However, the Sue Ryder woods was seen as a more suitable location for its remoteness and peaceful setting.

It is expected to be installed next month after being designed and put together by Gavin Hadley at a factory in Cornwall.

It will be built from marine-grade polished stainless steel with bronze-coloured leaves.

The couple need to raise a further £5,000 which they hope will be funded through a black-tie event at the town hall in February, which will include a DJ, raffle, a bar and food.

Mrs Greenwood, who works as a nanny, said: “When fundraising first started, I felt really overwhelmed. It’s not like we were having to raise a few thousand — we’re asking for quite a big sum of money.

“I did think, ‘Oh my gosh. Are we actually going to reach our target?’ But now I’m getting the updates of the tree coming together, it feels real.

“For some of the donations we had come in, I didn’t know who they were from.

“You think, ‘Wow that’s reached out to strangers who have felt touched in some way and they might not even be local’.

“We’ve almost got there and we’re at the final part of it now.”

“To have it in a town like Henley, which is a very tight-knit community, is a lovely thing to bring families together.

“When we got offered to have a leaf at the tree in Maidenhead and to be told that the 350 leaves had been taken, I thought that there must be so many families out there who didn’t even get a chance to have that and if they don’t have a family or close friends, that might be their only escape to honour their child or children.”

The town council has pledged to buy about
250 leaves for the tree at a cost of £30 each.

The steel of the structure is corrosion-resistant with no rough finishes and the mirror finish has been picked to reflect nature and soften the impact on the surrounding environment.

Mr Hadley’s previous work includes memorial trees for SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death) Berkshire and projects for hospital gardens and Sue Ryder care facilities.

After befriending a lady who travelled four hours to
Maidenhead to attach her own leaf, Mrs Greenwood wanted to launch a project more locally.

She said: “It really makes you feel like you’re less alone. “This lady had nothing remotely similar in her area and she wasn’t able to come as often as I could.

“I polish her son’s leaf and I send her a photo and I think we have almost built a bond over that from to just meeting her from the same situation, I think that’s just what will happen alongside the tree in Henley.

“Prior to losing Isabella, it would not have been something I would have known about or even thought about but it certainly would have been something that if I passed, would take me back and think there are so many families out there struggling and grieving and going through this and they might not have anyone to turn to.”

The Willows Support Group, based at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where Isabella was born, donated £5,000 to the project. Mr and Mrs Greenwood, who have two sons, Finley, four, and Oliver, 10, previously raised more than £2,000 for Cuddle Cot, a charity which supports people affected by baby loss.

Mrs Greenwood said: “People have always supported us, even if they don’t know us.

“I know we would support something like that [to help people with baby loss] but when we first did it last Christmas, it was a bad time anyway financially for people.

“It just wasn’t really getting anywhere within the first few months and I did sit there and at one point I thought are we actually going to get anywhere.

“We have done so much behind the scenes to get to that point. Knowing we’re at the final hurdles now is amazing.”

Town clerk Sheridan Jacklin-Edward said: “We’re looking forward to the tree being installed and providing a peaceful and lasting memorial and space for families to remember their loved ones.”

To donate to the project, visit tinyurl.com/5bu72269

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