The Forest of Memories has announced previously that a central principle of The Forest of Memories project is to plant a tree for every life lost during this Pandemic. Today we can also announce the launch of Memory-Trees.com, a service designed to achieve a second central principle of the Forest of Memories project – attaching the stories of those being remembered to the trees that are planted.
What is Memory-Trees.com?
Planting 10’s of thousands of trees is a wonderful thing. Dedicating these trees to loved ones is even better. But, by itself that does not fully meet the aims of remembrance. Without connecting each tree to a specific person (and that person’s story) we feel that the trees planted are only an anonymous large number of trees. As good as that is, we don’t feel it’s enough.
The loved ones who have died during this pandemic are more than a number, they are more than anonymous statistics. The stories of each loved one that is being remembered in any forest deserve to be told and shared so we remember the person, and not only the event (this pandemic) that took their lives. If the remembrance symbolised by any trees that are planted is to become truly meaningful, they must therefore be attached to the memories of real people. Memories that can be recalled and retold when people visit the trees that are planted to remember them.
Memory-Trees.com is an online place for bringing people together to share memories in lasting and meaningful ways of the loved ones they lost. Memory-Trees.com will also be the technology partner for The Forest of Memories to develop the technology needed so that the memories of loved ones will be able to be captured, shared, and recalled for specific trees planted in The Forest of Memories.
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Supporting Covid Memorial Day with ‘Memory-Pages’
The Memory-Trees.com project will take some months to develop all of the technology required to achieve the full vision of The Forest of Memories. However, to support the objectives of Covid Memorial Day on 1st January, the Memory-Trees.com website has been launched with some early and simple functionality that can support the idea of the Covid Memorial Day.
Covid Memorial Day is an idea to light a candle and spend a moment of private remembrance for those we lost, and for those who have suffered, this year. To support this idea Memory-Trees.com is providing the ability for people to create and share a ‘Memory-Page’ of a loved one they lost. They can then share this page with friends and family on social media as part of the act of collective remembrance that is being called for on the 1st January.
It’s a simple thing, and not the full Memory-Trees system planned for next year, but we hope it will help to show people some of the human stories behind the statistics that are reported daily. It is the people shown on Memory-Pages who people have lost, and it is these people and their stories who we should be spending a moment to remember on Covid Memorial Day.
Create a ‘Memory-Page’’ for your loved one
We have added some Memory-Pages to Memory-Trees.com prior to today’s launch. Thank you to everyone who (at short notice) has helped to do this by providing information on their loved ones. The pages we have set up are only a fraction of the numbers who have dedicated a tree in the Forest of Memories so far. We encourage anyone who hasn’t yet created a Memory Page to do so.
If you have not yet created a Memory-Page for a loved one you lost during this pandemic you can do this today. Visit the Memory-Trees.com website and complete the ‘Dedicate a Tree’ request, you will then get an email with instructions on what to do next. It’s really easy to follow but if you have any issues just contact us and we will address these for you.
Don’t worry if you have already dedicated a tree to a loved one on the Forest of Memories website, the process should still work OK for you and you won’t end up with duplicate tree dedications.
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Once you’ve created your Memory-Page, Memory-Trees.com will then let you know as and when new functionality becomes available on your account as part of the full Memory-Tree services that are being developed for the bereaved. Services that will be designed to make your dedication to your loved one richer, more meaningful, and longer-lasting.
The Forest of Memories
The Forest of Memories is a project started by ‘Our Heroes CIC’ with the objective of creating a network of memorial forests around the UK. Forests of remembrance for all those who have tragically lost their lives during this pandemic, and the creation of sustainable places of reflection for the bereaved and for people whose mental health has been affected.
The Forests of Memories will be grown in memory of people adversely affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst addressing climate change, benefiting biodiversity, and establishing an educational and cultural resource for local communities. Creating a lasting tribute to people in ways that will benefit future generations.
