Backing Rotherham’s Field of Remembrance

A powerful and peaceful tribute to Rotherham’s loved and lost will be created through a partnership between the town’s hospice, Wentworth Woodhouse and local businesses.

Hundreds of steel feathers will form Rotherham Hospice’s Meadow of Memories at Wentworth Woodhouse in August.

Rotherham-based AESSEAL is the headline sponsor of the project and steel fabricators MTL Advanced have crafted the feathers for the installation.

MTL donated the production and materials for the Feather Appeal sculptures, which will be made from stainless steel and designed to be enduring, with each one carrying its own story and representing a tribute to a loved one’s memory.

The feathers will then be placed across the grounds and set against the beauty of one of Yorkshire’s most historic gardens.

Rotherham Hospice individual giving manager Siobhan Halpin said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working with AESSEAL as a sponsor of our Feather Appeal.

“Their enthusiasm and ongoing commitment to Rotherham Hospice demonstrate a genuine dedication to compassionate care and community wellbeing.

“We’re incredibly excited to be working together and look forward to making a real difference in the lives of our patients and their families, and seeing our beautiful installation come to life in August.”

The hospice is inviting people to dedicate a feather in memory of someone they love and says:

“Each feather tells a story. Each one holds a wish. By dedicating a feather, you will honour their memory in a truly meaningful way, while helping Rotherham Hospice continue to add more life to every day for patients and families in our care.”

Anyone donating will receive a personalized engraved tag allowing them to add the name of their choice. During the installation they can place the tag on a feather, creating a personal moment of remembrance.

The installation will then be on display at Wentworth Woodhouse between August 9 and 23 (10am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday), with proceeds going to the hospice and the house.

Visitors will be able to walk through, reflect, remember and celebrate the lives represented by the feathers.

At the end of the installation, people can take home their feather and engraved tag as a keepsake.

AESSEAL’s sponsorship is particularly relevant due to its relationship with business leader Dame Julie Kenny, who chaired the trustees of Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust and was a passionate advocate for the house and the region until her death at the age of 67 on February 21 this year. Dame Julie was a non-executive director at AES Engineering Ltd.

Managing director Chris Rea said:

“The Feather Appeal brings together so much of what is good about Rotherham, from its businesses to the local hospice and Wentworth Woodhouse as well as, of course, the wonderful Dame Julie Kenny who had such strong connections with all three.

“As a result we had no hesitation in supporting what will be a wonderful and lasting tribute to many Rotherham people who had cause to use the hospice towards the end of their lives, which many of their families will have been grateful for.”

More information is available at https://www.rotherhamhospice.org.uk/feather-appeal/