Photo caption: Left to right – Helen Attley (Milburngate), Cllr Neil Foster (centre) and Ann White (HM Passport Office)
The developers of Milburngate have teamed up with Durham County Council and Her Majesty’s Passport Office to create a new memorial daffodil display in Durham.
Helen Attley from the Milburngate development, said: “We are proud to be able to create this new memorial display with Durham County Council. It will be a fitting memorial to the loved ones of HM Passport Office staff and a beautiful addition to Wharton Park for local residents and visitors.”
Ann White from HM Passport Office, said: “This is a lovely gesture by the developers of Milburngate and we would also like to thank Durham County Council for their support with the creation of this new memorial. The daffodils outside our old offices were important to our staff so it’s really nice they have somewhere to go and enjoy the flowers and remember their loved ones.”
Cabinet Member for regeneration and local services, Councillor Neil Foster, said: “We were delighted to offer the Marie Curie Field of Hope memorial a new home at Wharton Park. These flowers have special significance for those who planted them and we hope that they continue to provide comfort for those staff members, while brightening the days of the many visitors and local people who come to enjoy the recently regenerated park with its new landscaping and facilities.”
The 500 daffodils will appear in Wharton Park replacing flowers that were originally planted in 2003 in the grounds of Milburngate House by HM Passport Office employees to remember lost loved ones.
Following the organisation’s move to Freemans Reach, on the opposite side of the River Wear, in 2016, and with its old offices currently being demolished to be replaced with the Milburngate development, a new location was required for the ‘Marie Curie Field of Hope’ memorial.
The Milburngate team has donated the bulbs and has worked with rangers from Durham County Council to plant them in the park, at the North Road entrance next to the ‘Albert the Good’ statue, ready for the daffodils to bloom in the spring.
Milburngate is a landmark development that will feature a mix of luxury apartments, high quality offices, a boutique Everyman cinema and premium restaurants and bars. Leading to the creation of more than 1,000 new jobs, Milburngate is being developed by Carillion, Arlington Real Estate and Richardsons Capital LLP.