Tree of Loss: Tree of Hope grows at Leicester Cathedral

Tree of Loss: Tree of Hope grows at Leicester Cathedral

Leicester Cathedral has launched a memorial tree to remember loved ones and to mark all the events and special occasions missed in a year of living with Covid-19.

The Tree of Loss :Tree of Hope is a campaign for Lent which invites people to add leaves which have been hand printed by Leicester Cathedral Friend and local artist, Sarah Kirby, to the memorial tree.

The leaves will be hung on bare tree branches inside the Cathedral dedicated to those who have lost their lives to the pandemic and all those moments and events that have been lost to the year while recognising the hope of the season.

The tree will be stripped of its leaves after Easter and each leaf will be sent to those who bought them inside a greetings card made by the artist.

Karen Rooms, Canon Missioner at Leicester Cathedral, said the last year had been tough for the city and beyond here in Leicester.

“The past year has been a year of significant loss and bereavement; including the loss of a loved one, the cancellation of a wedding, a school prom, a crucial sports game, a routine operation.

“Missing out on your niece’s first Christmas, your first year at university, seeing your parents or hugging your grandparents.

“The loss of a job, the freedom to get out, to go to a concert or the theatre, to eat out at your favourite restaurant, to hold your new born grandchild, the chance to walk your daughter down the aisle.

“Not being able to celebrate your seventh brthday with your friends or Christmas, Eid or Diwali with your family.

“The big birthday or anniversary party that couldn’t happen, the hobbies you can no longer do, the school exams you’d been working towards.

“The Cathedral is offering these beautiful leaves as symbols of what we have lost and hold with gratitude, and of life and hope. We hope these growing trees will bring solace to us all”  she added.

 

The artist, Sarah said the tree embodied hope and resilience.

“So much of our language and culture is shaped by the tree; from the tree of knowledge the Garden of Eden. They symbolise a vital and continual interdependence of all life,” she added.

The Tree of Loss :Tree of Hope campaign runs through Lent and the leaves are available to purchase online to Saturday 3rd April, for £5:

Find out more on the Leicester Cathedral website here.