Work has officially begun to create a memorial garden in memory of a toddler who died in a gas explosion at his home in Heysham.
George's Forget-me-Not Garden will be created as a lasting tribute to two-year-old George Hinds.
The community garden will be built on the land where George's house stood on Mallowdale Avenue until it was destroyed in the devastating blast in May 2021.
The site has now been cleared, and now help from the community is needed to make the garden a reality, with volunteers being asked to get involved.
"A huge thank you to everyone once again for your incredible support," said a post on the George's Forget-me-Not Community Garden Facebook page.
"We genuinely couldn’t do this without the community behind us.
"We’re delighted to share that work has now officially started!
"We’re hoping to arrange a community meeting before the schools break up, so everyone has the chance to come along, hear about what’s been happening, find out what’s coming next, and share their thoughts.
"This is a project for our whole community, and we’d love to hear from anyone who feels they could contribute.
"If you have skills, ideas, or simply some time to spare and would like to join the committee, we’d be delighted to welcome you. Every contribution, big or small, helps us move forward together.
"Thank you all for your continued encouragement and support. We’ll keep everyone updated as we make progress, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the meeting."
The site on Mallowdale Avenue in Heysham has now been cleared. Image: George's Forget-me-Not Garden
The project is being managed by Kev Wilson Builders Ltd.
"The site has now been cleared, and we’d like to say a huge thank you to SM Grab Ltd for removing all the spoil, and to Cadent, through Kevin Thompson, for funding the fencing," said a further post on the Facebook page.
"The next stages include excavating the footings and installing the fencing—but we need your help to make it happen.
"We’re looking for builders, fencers, and anyone willing to give up a few hours of their time to help with some physical work. We’ll be organising volunteer working days on a Saturday, so whether you can spare an hour or a full day, every bit of help will make a real difference in bringing this community project to life.
"If you’d like to get involved, please send Kev Wilson a message. Your support, skills, and time will help create something special for everyone in our community.
"A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the project so far."
Lancaster City Council granted planning permission for change of use of the land from residential to a memorial garden in 2024.
In June 2024, George's nanna Janice Studholme spoke to Beyond Radio about plans for the memorial garden.
She said George's death was devastating for his parents Vicky and Steve, the whole family, and neighbours who live in the area.
"The devastation that happened, has affected a lot of the community," she said.
"The schools, the children, everybody's been affected.
"We'd like to change the land into a community garden.
"We just need to make it as positive as possible for people to use. We'd like to leave it open, and people will respect it, and come, and think about what happened in this area that night.
"Vicky and Steve, myself and all the family, we really really can't thank everybody enough for the support we've had.
"I just felt now was the time to move the land on, so that everybody can get some pleasure out of the garden.
"We loved it, Vicky and Steve loved it, and George played a lot of hours here. I'm sure he would have liked it to be back to a garden.
"Anybody with any problems they can come and sit in the garden. We're going to put seating areas, quiet areas, we're going to do a sensory garden for children. It will be wheelchair accessible.
"We're just hoping that when we do get it sorted, that it will be here for many years to come in memory of my little grandson."
Janice Studholme is pictured below at the land on Mallowdale Avenue by a tree where George liked to play
You can find out more at the George's Forget-me-Not Garden Facebook page HERE.
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