#74 - Thames Memorial

Link to image on Thames Memorial Facebook Page

On Christmas Eve 2003 I found out that my dad had passed away. I was starting a new job on 2nd January so I basically put any feelings related to it in a box and went to work. We weren't close but there were things I'd wanted to say to him and I knew he was very sick and I had limited time. But I procrastinated until the decision was out of my hands. What I realised many months later was that this marked the beginning of a downward spiral into an epic "party" which lasted many years. I think if I'd had some kind of closure and mourned properly I'd have handled the whole thing a lot better instead of going completely off the rails.

This summer I met Clare Newton, inventor and designer and achiever of awesome things including: Guinness World Record for Longest Photograph and British Female Inventor of the Year. Clare told me about her vision, The Thames Memorial. An average of 1 person dies each week in the River Thames. For those they have left behind there is no funeral, no burial site to visit and for many, no closure. When I heard about this project it reminded me of my father passing and I thought about how hard it must be for a family to have a member just disappear one day, particularly in those instances where it is not possible for the person to be recovered from the river.

Clare's plan is to raise funds to build a memorial which will be stationed on one of the banks of the River Thames. The idea is to engage local schools in creative projects related to the project too so that the memorial will not only honour those who have passed and serve their families and friends but also become a focal point that unites the local community.

I think it sounds like an excellent project with a lot of possibilities and I'm happy to support it.

Clare has organised two fundraising events in the coming months and is offering a 60% discount to readers of the w0nd3r so if you are interested give me a shout and I will give you the magic code:

Link to September 18th Heart Centred Business Conference  
Link to Oct 9th Women in Business Conference

Here are more clickable links:

Thames Memorial Website
Thames Memorial Facebook Fan Page
Clare Newton Portfolio