Published: Friday, 27th May 2022

A living wisteria sculpture has been officially unveiled in Royal Leamington Spa to honour and remember members of the community who lost their lives during the pandemic.

The sculpture which was designed by Jon Holmes from Warwick District Council’s Green Spaces team, was revealed to members of the public during a simple ceremony in Jephson Gardens conducted by the Chair of Warwick District Council Mini Mangat and the Mayor of Royal Leamington Spa, Nick Wilkins.

Councillor Mangat commented:

“This beautiful memorial has been inspired by the spirit and resilience of our local community. Over time the wisteria will take over the metal sculpture with wonderful, twisted stems and displays of flowers which will get more vibrant as the plant matures. We very much hope that this peaceful sanctuary will become a place where the people of Leamington Spa can come for reflection and remembrance.”

Councillor Wilkins added:

“This is a striking and fitting tribute to those who sadly lost their lives due to Covid.  A pandemic that, although global, has been felt just as hard by each and every person it has touched locally.

As the beauty of the sculpture unveils itself with a vibrant wisteria, I hope that it will offer those who have suffered grief a place to remember their loved ones.”

The four wisteria sculptures installed in Kenilworth, Whitnash, Warwick and Leamington Spa this week are one of a number of community projects being facilitated by Warwick District Council as part of their ‘Trees for our Future’ campaign. The ambitious scheme has the target of planting 160,000 new trees by 2030, one for every resident living in the district.

Councillors and officers stood in front of the memorial

Feeds from the web