Work on a Memorial Garden at the home of Morecambe Football Club has been completed.
The Memorial Garden has been a long time in the planning stages, after the Shrimps Trust first came up with the concept a number of years ago.
The garden, which is now a fantastic addition to the club and the community, is a place where people can honour and remember their loved ones and a place for reflection.
It was officially unveiled over the weekend, with the ribbon cutting ceremony led by Morecambe FC stalwart Derek Quinn, who walked a million steps in 31 days to raise funds for the project.
The garden is located within the Mazuma Mobile Stadium footprint, on land to the left of the southern corner of the home Halo Terrace, near to the Hurley Flyer carpark.
Derek said: ‘’ When we moved here (to the Mazuma), we said we could do with a Memorial Garden, but it never really went anywhere.
‘’Then three years ago I had some time off due to changing jobs, so decided to go for it, and walk a million steps in a month.
‘’After breaking my wrists, I had to reevaluate, but completed the challenge over 31 different days instead, and raised £4,000, which the Shrimps Trust have matched, plus a little more, and I’m so delighted to see the garden now open.
‘’Just today, someone walked onto the garden and said they felt calm and relaxed, and that’s what it’s all about, and means so much to me.’’
Matthew Newsham, Events Lead at the Shrimps Trust, added: ‘’We have been working with the contractor to make sure that we get the right design for the needs of the membership.
‘’ So many hours have gone into this. We owe a lot of thanks to Karl Robinson from Karl’s Gardens for the design and implementation, and it’s fantastic.
‘’We hope fans can come along and take that moment to reflect, over lost ones or just what’s going on in their life at the time.
‘’It can be friends, family, or other supporters of Morecambe Football Club, and we hope that this stands for years to come to remember those people.’’
Memorial plaques are available to purchase for display in the garden.
Costs include installation of the plaques, which are guaranteed to be in place for five years. All maintenance and upkeep costs for that time are included within the price.
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