Following a tip off from a follower I made a quick visit to Boughton today to check out one of the nicest stories I’ve heard about for a while. No offensive graffiti or closed down canal path but something positive and uplifting in a world wracked by conflict, anti social behaviour and discount store proliferation… Boughton is a much loved area of the city for me, childhood memories of visits to the grandparents and the pool at Sandy Lane and these days I make sporadic trips. Always find some good material from abandoned mattresses or hoovers to Storm trooper street art. So passing the famous blue ivy of the Peacock and down Heath lane… And there stands the “wishing tree” in the small park at the junction with Becketts lane
The trunk of the tree is covered with a loose string mesh so that people can attach blank tags and write messages/wishes on them.. “for you, a loved one..whatever your wish may be”. I examined the tags at length and there are some moving stories there.. from a child who wants to be allowed a dog, or to do well in their exams, to someone battling depression… to wishes to be reunited with loved ones. I spent several minutes taking in the wishes and daydreaming of all the stories behind them. Its a mystery who set up the tree and it looks like its been there for quite a few months. There are also various flowers/tributes at the base of the tree making it a nice place for reflection. I hope that the tree will contine to flourish, unlike the love locks on the suspension bridge, which are going to be removed very soon sources indicate
In short well worth a visit if you’re passing the area, it reminded me that theres still a fair amount of magic left in the world. I hope all the wishes come true
BLOG UPDATE
following press coverage and speculation about who created the tree , via social media I was able to get in contact with the originator of the project. To preserve the mystery I have decided not to name her. A Boughton resident of 13 years she said ” I loved what you wrote about the tree…I went straight down and re-read the messages after I read what you had written!!! ” I asked her about the origin of the tree and she explained that “Basically, a little over a year ago I received a call from Ireland informing me that my Mum was really not very well, when I spoke to her she couldn’t really communicate on the phone so I arranged for an ambulance to be sent to her! I flew over to Ireland the next day still unsure of the situation…she died 8 days later whilst I held her hand of undetected Liver cancer that had spread and consumed her whole body! She left me on the 8th July 2013, I created The Wishing Tree on the 8th July (2014)as a silent memory to my Mum as I can’t get over to her grave and have a place to go and reflect. I wasn’t sure how it would be received but it seems to be well supported! Mine was the first wish on the tree that you photographed…’I wish the cure for Cancer would hurry up…'” she concludes that “if it can help people and offer a little hope in testing times then it’s doing it’s job! We should all be allowed to believe in a little magic…x”
Thanks to @woofbarkgrowl for letting me know about the tree
“I’ll see you some day” to my ex associate that lives in the area
SC
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