Shefford Home Creates “Remembrance Fence” to Remember Loved Ones

A Shefford home has created a “remembrance fence” where residents and members of the community can remember their loved ones.

MHA Oak Manor has utilised the space near the reception of the home where residents, staff, members of the family and the community can put a padlock onto the fence.

The purpose of the fence is to allow everyone to remember their loved ones and offer them a hub reflect on their memories.

The home offers 64 places for residential and dementia care and has space for at least a hundred padlocks to go on the fence.

Home manager Fay Gooch was inspired by the lovelocks on the Great Wall of The China and is hoping for it to become a real communal space.

She added: “I tried to do something like this before, but for some reason it wasn’t successful.

“I saw somewhere that they had something like this in China, and with the Chinese New Year starting last week I thought it would be the perfect time to start something like this again.

“I told the families of residents as well as staff and residents and they all really liked the idea.

“I want it our remembrance fence to be something the whole community can get involved in.

“I posted it in one of the local Facebook groups the feedback and responses were great.

“Because of where the fence is, it’s something that will catch the eye of people when they go past and that’s something that I feel will help to increase interest.

“We have already had a couple of padlocks go on and I am confident we will see more as time progresses.

“I have already ordered some padlocks for myself that I want to put on and I’m hoping it’s a tradition that carries on for a long time and one day people will look back and see all the different padlocks.”