Thame Youth Memorial Unveiled to the Public!

The Thame Youth Memorial Garden is now open to the public after an official unveiling ceremony on Sunday 29 September 2013. The Memorial was opened by the Mayor of Thame Cllr Peter Lambert and is the result of four years of hard work fund raising.

The ceremony started with a short history of the project by the Thame Youth Memorial chairman Peter Butt, a speech by the Rev. Ian Mountford of Barley Hill church based on the infinite love and memories that the concept of the memorial represents. “Bring Him Home” was sung by Ric Ashley-Smith, who is a relative of one of those remembered on the memorial. A short speech by Maggie Styles, giving the parents perspective on what the memorial means to them and what they hope it will become to the surrounding community was followed by a speech by Michael Oatway, Member of the Youth Parliament giving a young persons perspective on the Memorial Garden.

Nick White who has been the project photographer has created a step by step photo guide of the memorial’s construction right through to the opening ceremony which can be viewed here

The day also raised another £300 from donations made on the day and as always we thank the community for their kind contributions as without this generosity we would never have had a hope of reaching our target.

I understand this morning a parent driving through Thame saw a group of Lord Williams’s School youngsters looking at the memorial, reading the inscriptions and sitting on the benches and side of the water feature, chatting together, maybe reflecting together and interacting with the new surroundings. This is the vision the trust had when the project was born and now it is a reality.