Fencing adds finishing touch to Kelso memorial garden

The garden, featuring a stone wall with names inscribed upon it, was officially unveiled in the old part of the town’s Rosebank Cemetery in 2018.

It gave relatives of loved ones cremated rather than buried the chance to put their names on the stone memorial without having to go to the expense of purchasing headstones of their own.

The garden had been a long-time coming for Kelso Community Council as former member John King first came up with the idea five years ago.

Town councillor Tom Weatherston, after taking over the project from Alec Nicol, was responsible for sourcing space, funding and materials.

However, although the garden was recognised as a great asset to the town after its launch, there was no funding to pay for a new fence to be put around it at the time.

That omission has now been addressed and a fence put up, though, thanks to two benefactors coming forward.

Mr Weatherston said: “At the end of October 2018, we opened a new memorial garden as somewhere people who lost loved ones could put their names on a memorial wall rather than buying a lair and a headstone.

“I chaired the group that led the project and it was great to be involved in, and the feeling at the time was the memorial garden was great but the outer fence let it down badly.

“I attempted to get funding for a new fence, but that proved a challenge as we had exhausted most of the funding streams on the original project.

“I am delighted to say that now, though, thanks to a generous donation from Kelso Churches together and another from one of Scottish Border Council’s community grant funds, we have managed to get the new fence in place and it really has put the finishing touches to the project.

“The contractor has done a great job, and I would like to thank them very much and the community council for maintaining the garden and keeping it in first-class condition.”