As part of our 30th anniversary celebrations we wanted to show our appreciation to the people of Millom and district for their support by creating a ‘place to reflect’ in their town.
Working with Millom Town Council we agreed to place a “Memory Stone” as a new addition to the existing standing stones at the highest point of Millom Town Park. The Park enjoys one of the most spectacular views of the Southern Fells and the Duddon Estuary.
The entire project was brought to life through gifts of time, resources and advice from local organisations. The Stone was a gift from Burlington Stone from their Kirkby-in-Furness Quarry (with the support of The Holker Group) and was selected with the kind advice of William Todd (Stonemason). The challenge of transporting the extremely heavy stone was solved by the kindness of Kieron McDiad Ltd. Moving and positioning the stone within the Park proved to be a serious barrier until we discovered Beckside Construction and its Director Robert Morris-Eyton.
“The Sea to the West”
At this stage a small time capsule was sealed under the stone by then Millom Mayor Angela Dixon. It contains information about St Mary’s Hospice and a copy of Millom Born Poet Norman Nicholson’s book of poetry “The Sea to the West” kindly donated by a Hospice supporter.
Robert, assisted by Hospice Volunteer Dennis Williams then used his expertise and hard work to get our stone in place and secure. The stone was inscribed by the truly wonderful Phil Atkinson Stonemason of Ulverston.
“Minning”
As well as the Hospice logo the stone is inscribed with an extract of Norman Nicholson’s poem. “Do you remember Adlestrop” from Sea to the West, which themes focus on the importance of memory. We thank the Norman Nicholson Society for their advice and support in getting authority for the use of this extract. On the reverse of the stone Phil has inscribed the Millom Town crest and the Old Western Norse word “Minning” which also means memory. This was the dialect spoken in the Millom area during the Viking era. We thank Dr Matthew Townend of York University for his advice regarding this.
Two new benches have been placed next to the stone by the Town Council. We hope our Memory Stone will create a space for remembrance and is a suitable “thank you” for the continued generous support of local people.
