New Silent Space in Torrington is garden of tranquillity

Great Torrington Town Council’s Dementia Friendly Community working group were delighted to be able to launch Great Torrington’s Silent Space on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, in the Secret Memorial Garden behind the Castle Hill building in Sydney House Car Park.Â

The Silent Space Project is a national initiative to create areas where people can find peace and tranquillity in natural settings, to switch off from technology and avoid talking loudly or be silent and enjoy nature: https://silentspace.org.uk/ .Â

The idea for a Dementia Friendly Silent Space was put forward by one of the founding members of the Dementia Friendly Community working group following a similar project her daughter worked on as part of her PhD. The working group thought having a Silent Space specifically for people living with dementia and their carers would provide a space for them to find respite from the busy world we live in and would be a great asset to the town as it works towards becoming dementia friendly.Â

The Secret Memorial Garden, which was chosen as the location for this new Silent Space, is a magical space in Great Torrington, tucked away behind the town centre shops and main car park. It was created in 2002 as a memorial to five young boys, evacuees of the Second World War, who tragically lost their lives in a fire close by at Sydney House. In the centre of the garden is a bronze statue of a boy reading a book: a touching tribute to the boys who lost their lives. There is a central knot garden containing herbs such as marjoram, cotton lavender, sage and thyme, all planted in compartments between low box hedging. Benches are scattered through the garden so that visitors can relax and appreciate this special oasis in the middle of the town.Â

At the launch, the chair of the working group, councillor Di Davey, welcomed Liz Ware, Founder of the Silent Space Project, cllr Doug Smith, Mayor of Great Torrington and Colin Porter, whose late-wife Chris put forward the original idea, to help unveil a new sign for the space. The garden will be designated a Silent Space on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between the hours of 1.30pm and 3.30pm each week.Â

The working group would like to thank everyone involved with making this launch possible, including the Great Torrington and District Community Development Trust who have kindly allowed us to use the Secret Memorial Garden for the Silent Space, their volunteers who maintain the garden so beautifully and Roger Davies for creating the new sign.