A striking new Tree of Remembrance has been unveiled in Hartlepool’s Stranton Cemetery and Crematorium – a heartfelt gift from a local businessman in memory of his late son.
The steel sculpture, on the wall beside the chapel, offers Hartlepool residents the opportunity to create a lasting tribute to their loved ones by purchasing a metal leaf specially cast with the name and life dates of the loved one together with a short tribute, to add to the tree.
The Tree of Remembrance was designed, manufactured and donated by Hartlepool company Phoenix Steel.
The project took root after Andrew Lawson, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Bereavement Team Leader, approached Phoenix Steel’s General Manager Tony Larkin with an idea for a memorial tree and asked if it was possible to commission one from the firm.
Left to right: Andrew Lawson, Councillor Gary Allen and Tony Larkin beside the Tree of Remembrance
Tony said: “We had just invested in a large, powerful laser profiling machine and I thought the project would be ideal for us.
“It would also be an opportunity to commemorate the passing of my son Sam and all that he meant to us, and to help create something that would benefit the wider community and the cemetery too.
“I spoke to the directors of the business and we all agreed we would be delighted to design, produce and ultimately donate the Tree of Remembrance.”
Sam Larkin worked at Phoenix Steel as Profile Supervisor and sadly passed away in 2022 aged just 28 leaving a wife and two children.
Made of Corten steel, the tree will gradually weather into an attractive orange colour, and will be complemented by the leaves, which will be individually cast in a bronze alloy with a forest green finish and gold lettering.
The tree was designed by Phoenix Steel CAD Manager Mark Robson and produced by his colleagues Neil Whitehead, Harvey Preston and Glenn Turnbull.
The first two leaves on the tree commemorate Sam and his grandmother Liz, who passed away only seven weeks after Sam.
The first two leaves to be placed on the tree
The tree will hold a total of 150 leaves. A leaf can be purchased for £180 and will remain on the tree for ten years, with the opportunity to renew it for additional ten year periods for £90.
Councillor Gary Allen, Chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Adult and Community-Based Services Committee, said: “We are tremendously grateful for this generous and moving donation from Tony and his colleagues.
“The Tree of Remembrance will be a beautiful and lasting tribute and place of reflection, offering families and friends an attractive and unusual alternative to more traditional memorials.
“It’s a poignant addition to Stranton Cemetery and a testament to the strength of the community spirit here in Hartlepool.”
Anyone wanting to purchase a commemorative leaf on the tree should contact the Bereavement Team at Stranton Crematorium on 01429 284031 / 284033 or email cemeteries@hartlepool.gov.uk