A Just Giving page has been set up by the local Facebook Group ‘Helping Dumfries & Galloway’ to help repair or replace the damaged tree.
The tree is installed in the grounds of the Crichton Trust in Dumfries
Update From SiMBA – 27th April
The original update can be viewed here
“Over the weekend of the 23 – 25th April we were deeply saddened to hear that our Tree of Tranquillity in Dumfries & Galloway, within the grounds of The Crichton Trust, was regrettably damaged. We are aware that Dumfries Galloway Police Division have taken this matter very seriously and have reported a teenager to the Youth Justice Co-ordinator.
While we understand the upset, pain and anger within the community, we would also like to acknowledge and thank the teenager for quickly owning up to what happened and coming forward, with the support of their parents, to take responsibility for their actions and to proactively support the remedial work required to repair the tree. It is also important that we don’t prejudge the circumstances of the damage, after talking to the family we now know that the damage was accidental caused by misadventure. We have spoken with the teenager and she is incredibly sorry for the damage and for any hurt that she has caused.
SiMBA has been in regular contact with The Crichton Trust, the local Police and the D&G Baby Loss Awareness Committee who extensively fundraised to bring the Tree to the area, knowing how much the Tree would mean to bereaved families. Everyone involved is now working together to repair the damage and we would kindly ask that we once again turn our attention to the significance of this tree and the comfort it brings to all those who have sadly suffered the loss of a baby.
We would like to thank the local community for their outpouring of support during this time including those who contacted SiMBA directly to report the damage; those who have commented on local social media posts and to those who have reached out understanding the impact of such damage to the families who have a leaf on the Tree.
We are aware that there have been some fundraising pages set up to raise funds to repair the tree and we are extremely grateful for this support which will cover the costs of repair and any future measures that we will put in to further secure the Tree.
We will do our best to arrange for the Tree to be repaired as soon as we can but if you have any concerns or would like to discuss this matter further, please email: [email protected] “
SiMBA Trees Of Tranquility
The SiMBA Trees of Tranquillity are unique to SiMBA, they are stunning hand crafted, life sized sculptures, made from copper, where each leaf on the tree represents a baby who has died. Each Tree is adorned with individual leaves, each engraved with a personal message. The Tree of Tranquillity offers bereaved parents the opportunity to honour their baby in a simple, quiet way.
The Tree of Tranquillity is not just for the newly bereaved but also parents who sadly lost their baby years ago and were perhaps provided with little or no recognition of their baby’s existence. The Tree provides the means to express a private and public declaration in memory of the lost hopes and dreams for our babies. It is a beautiful symbol of remembrance, that effectively ‘grows’ as leaves are added.
Sometimes quiet, shared actions, such as placing a leaf on the tree, can say more and be more meaningful than words.
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