First World War memorial garden planned for town

Ambitious £15,000 project gets under way in Aberfeldy

Specially-commissioned benches paying tribute to the fallen soldiers of the First World War are to be installed at a Perthshire beauty spot.

Locals in Aberfeldy are forging ahead with an ambitious £15,000 project to create a reflection garden at the Birks.

The area to the south of Bank Street will be transformed.

Centre stage will be two steel benches, which will feature details such as poppies, doves and soldiers.

The plans have been approved by Perth and Kinross Council after first being submitted in December.

Roy Cannon, chairman of local group Move2Improve, which is behind the project, said he was “excited” to see it get under way.

He said: “I was approached by Fields in Trust’s Centenary Fields project about putting up a commemorative plaque and we identified a space for a reflection garden to house it.

“There will be a small wall on which the plaque will be fixed. It’s great to have another project on the Lower Birks.

“Creating a reflection garden will leave a lasting legacy for the town – I’m really excited by it.”

He said the next step is to approach funders to raise the estimated £15,000 needed to create the garden.

It is hoped all the work will be completed before the 100th anniversary of the Armistice on November 11.

Run by national charity Fields in Trust, in partnership with the Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland, the Centenary Fields programme protects war memorial playing fields, parks and green spaces in memory of those who served or lost their lives during the First World War.

The UK-wide programme helps land owners dedicate space to remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives during the conflict, but also to ensure that future generations have green space to enjoy as a living legacy.

Fields in Trust chief executive Helen Griffiths said: “This programme is a fitting way for us to mark the sacrifices made by so many in the First World War while looking to the future through a living remembrance.

“The reflection garden in the Lower Birks of Aberfeldy is an excellent example of a local interpretation of our overall programme.

“We are delighted that communities across the UK are embracing Centenary Fields, commemorating the centenary of the First World War for local people in a way they can appreciate forever.

“We look forward to many more sites being protected as we commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War in 2018.”

Creating a reflection garden will leave a lasting legacy for thetown– I’m really excited by it. ROY CANNON

Picture: Phil Hannah. Roy Cannon of Move2Improve at the site of the new garden, with, from left, Janette Hardie, Margaret Adams, Isobel Matthews, Jim Adams and Betty Campbell.