A six-foot Tree of Hope has been officially unveiled in Kettering – designed as a legacy of hope post covid.

The tree, weaved from willow and made possible thanks to a £10,000 Arts Council England grant, is set in the grounds of Groundwork Northamptonshire’s community green space, The Green Patch.

left to right – Kimberley Lawson from Groundwork, Fern Gibson from NCF,
Groundwork CEO Kate Williams on the right

The unveiling took place during a community picnic, attended by local families and volunteers. The tree, designed by a local artist, is decorated with dozens of wooden and laminated leaves, all created by local people. Some are dedications to a loved one, others are reflections on the struggles of the past couple of years, while some are inspirational message of hope.

Grey Lindley, Manager of The Green Patch, said: “Our wonderful tree is designed to celebrate the Jubilee and to leave lasting legacy to mark the occasion and of hope - capturing ideas and dreams for the future.

“Groundwork Northamptonshire has a history of successfully working with and supporting children and young people, socially isolated adults, those with additional needs and families who are struggling with food and fuel poverty. We are incredibly proud to have to nurtured this creative and innovative approach to the arts. Trees are incredibly symbolic and can give so many messages of hope for the future.”

Fern Gibson, Marketing, Communications and Event Manager for Northamptonshire Community Foundation, added: “It was humbling to attend the official unveiling of this ‘Tree of Hope’ and to see this unique piece of art which is covered in inspirational messages from the local community. The piece really does instil hope for the future after what has been a tough few years for all.

“It will be a special place for people to come, reflect and look forward whilst children will be able to use the space to play, dream and be inspired. The piece really does celebrate hope and community and we are delighted to help support this project through the distribution of the Arts Council England’s ‘Let’s create Jubilee Fund’ in the county.”

The ‘Tree of Hope’ project was funded through Northamptonshire Community Foundation by the Arts Council England ‘Let’s Create Jubilee’ fund, which aimed to ensure that thousands of people from communities across England had the opportunity to take part in exciting creative events – all in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee.

The grant provided funding for a Jubilee picnic and celebration which saw the launch of the event, the commission of the tree structure itself as well as a series of co-creation workshops with professional artists in which Green Patch users designed and created the leaves for the ‘Tree of Hope’ structure.

You can visit the Tree of Hope by dropping down to the Green Patch any Tuesday or Thursday between 10am-2pm. Please see www.greenpatch.org.uk for further details.