Readers will recall the recent news articles regarding former team member and one time Deputy Team Leader Jenny Field, who sadly died on the 5th October this year aged 57.
Today a small group of team members representing the team were very honoured to be invited by Jenny’s husband, Dave and her children Jane and Paul, to a very special ’Life for a Life’ tree planting service as a lasting memorial to Jenny’s very full and wonderful life.
Taking place at 1pm today, at the Marklands Reservoir, Foxholes Road, Horwich, memorial tree Forest of Remembrance, three team members out of the four remaining current team members who served alongside Jenny during her time with the team from circa 1972 to 1990 attended, Alan ’the General’ James, our Deputy Leader Geoff Seddon and our Team Leader Garry Rhodes, were joined by team member John Parish, who attended to represent the membership who joined after Jenny left the team.
A short dedication and tree planting ceremony was led by Norman Armstrong – Kersh of the ’Life for a Life’ Memorial Forest charity, see www.lifeforalife.org.uk, who explained to all present the ’Life for a Life’ concept and then led all the assembled into the tree dedication in the memory of Jenny.
Jenny’s husband Dave was present, alongside her son Paul and her daughter Jane, Jenny’s twin brother Barry and her older brother Ricky also attended, alongside a gathering of other family members and friends. In a very touching and unique, for most of us attending, ceremony we all helped place Jenny’s ashes in and around the base of the English Oak (Quercus robur) planted as a lasting memorial to her.
We were then all invited to individually infill the tree pit hole around the base of the Oak tree with small trowel fulls of compost. At the end of the proceedings, team member Alan James ’the General’ played for all (his own tribute to Jenny), a lament on his pipe, which seemed for us in the team and we hope for all those assembled including Jenny’s husband and children, a very nice way of remembering Jenny.
Given that Jenny was a true outdoors person, besides her hillwalking and mountaineering skills, she was also a fell runner, orienteer, climber, skier, cross country skier and snow boarder, it somehow seemed very apt to all of us that the weather throughout the entire proceedings was typical of all that the British hills can throw at true enthusiasts of the outdoors, i.e. it was bitterly cold, absolutely pouring with rain, completely sodden underfoot, and yet around Jenny’s memorial tree all was happy memories and laughter, mixed in with the sadness of this very special event.
(Please also see website news articles dated 25th October 2007, 9th November 2007 and 18th November 2007)
