Remembering Together - Co-Creating COVID Community Memorials - Complete
Argyll and Bute Council · 19 June 2025
Back to Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee — 19 June 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENTAND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 19 JUNE 2025 REMEMBERING TOGETHER – CO-CREATING COVID COMMUNITY MEMORIALS - COMPLETE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide a final project report to the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee on the Remembering Together Programme manged by Greenspace Scotland and delivered by CHARTS through a partnership with Argyll and Bute Council and Greenspace Scotland. 2.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee consider the successful delivery of the Remembering Together Programme. 3.0 DETAIL 3.1 In 2021 Scottish Government announced funding for a programme of co- created community memorial projects in every local authority in the country. Greenspace Scotland was appointed to manage this programme which was called Remembering Together. 3.2 Remembering Together, brought together communities and artists/creative practitioners in collective acts of reflection, remembrance, hope and healing. Supported with £4.1 million provided by the Scottish Government, memorial projects were co-created in every local authority area of Scotland through communities working with artists/creative practitioners to honour those that have lost their lives to Covid-19 and reflect on their own experiences. 3.3 On 14th March 2022, the Strategic Management Team approved the governance for delivery in Argyll and Bute to be a partnership approach with officer
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representation on a steering group with CHARTS and Greenspace Scotland. CHARTS had a leading role in delivering the project. 3.4 The project was undertaken in two phases. A first phase consultation identified the importance of the outdoors and natural environment in supporting the mental health of our communities during the pandemic, and also in the creation of artworks/events which could be shared across Argyll and Bute’s wide geography, rather than being situated in any single location. The project was given the name Reflect and utilised grassroot connections to enable co-created art works to be situated in community/heritage gardens/ trails across the four community planning areas of Argyll. 3.5 The second delivery phase consisted of four artists working with communities in the four chosen locations, Garelochead, Isle of Mull, Isle of Bute and Campbeltown to design new spaces and artworks for memory and reflection. This built on post-pandemic community wellbeing activities and grew community relationships with artists. The project has left a legacy within the community for continued engagement with nature, flora and fauna and an archived resource for future learning. 3.6 Phase two delivered the following: • Shelter, Garelochhead, led by Emma Henderson at Centre 81 • THIS IS ENOUGH / GÀRRADH GU LEÒR, Isle of Mull, Aros Park Historic Walled Garden, by Somewhere/Nina Pope and Karen Guthrie • Silver Linings, Isle of Bute, Luke Winter • Looking for light in the darkness, Campbeltown Museum, Linda McCartney Memorial Garden, led by Kirsten Millar and Muriel MacKaveney 3.7 The project culminated in a digital event which brought the participants together and in addition a video of the projects was produced Remembering Together | Argyll and Bute | CHARTS. Argyll and the Isles. 3.8 Key results from Reflect include: ● Remembering Together web page views = 1901. ● 28 Reflect focused community engagement workshops hosted throughout Argyll in addition to those hosted more regularly as part of ongoing community partnerships e.g. Campbeltown and Garelochhead general activities to which artists attended building relationships. ● 4 in-person community commemorations and 1 online community commemoration - Our Community Reflects, August 17th 2024. ● 446 Direct beneficiaries in stage two of Reflect, Remembering Together (December 2023 to August 2024). ● Estimated 1200+ people directly engaged through workshops and events. ● Highest reaching CHARTS social post 2.3K
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3.9 A number of project elements remain to be delivered due to external demands and legacy is strong. Details of works outstanding and legacy are detailed below and continue to be monitored: Project Location Status/Legacy Garelochead Emma is continuing to work with Centre 81, and contacts that have been made through the project. CHARTS will continue to support. Mull – Aros Garden Core Aros Walled garden group is continuing to meet and there is a posy project proposed for Mull’s Spring Flower Show. Nina Pope is leading development including to take part in Steering group engagement project Beacons January 2025. Members of the group have also now joined Aros Development Trust – to help secure ongoing development potential. CHARTS will support continuation and commissions where funds permitting to this group as part of its island’s development programme. Bute Sculpture work /‘Shine’ is being displayed at sites around Bute and is currently on display at Bute Community Forest and at Ettrick Bay with the support of Mount Stuart to date (Sep 24 an estimated 200 visitors have viewed this work at Bute Forest). The artist continues to contact other organisations with CHARTS comms support to extend tour 2024-2025. Campbeltown Heritage Heroes Awards were achieved by: 62 school pupils, 7 Kintyre Care Home residents and 3 Woodland Residential residents. The art work will be permanently installed in spring 2025 once essential (pre-planned) ground maintenance work has been carried out by the Council in the Linda McCartney Garden. 4.0 IMPLICATIONS 4.1 Policy – None. 4.2 Financial – None.
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4.3 Legal – None. 4.4 HR – None. 4.5 Customer Service – None. 4.6 Risk – None. 4.7 Climate Change – Taken into consideration as part of the project. 4.8 Fairer Scotland Duty – None. 4.9 Equalities - protected characteristics – None. 4.10 Consumer Duty – None. 4.11 Island Communities – Two islands included, Bute and Mull. 4.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing – None. Kirsty Flanagan, Executive Director with overall responsibility for Development and Economic Growth Councillor Math Campbell-Sturgess, Policy Lead for Business Development May 2025 For further information contact: Fergus Murray, Head of Development and Economic Growth fergus.murray@argyll-bute.gov.uk Arlene Cullum, Senior Economic Development Officer Arlene.cullum@argyll-bute.gov.uk APPENDICES: Appendix 1 – Reflects Photos