Baby memorial plans unveiled for Fife park

Fife Council's bereavement services have launched memorial proposals for Dunfermline Public Park, including a sculpture and reflection area for babies whose ashes were not returned to their families.

The Memorial Project was founded after a nationwide investigation previously found failures in the way baby cremations were handled.

Fife Council previously apologised to the families for its part in the hurt and anguish caused by the way Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy Crematoria operated in the past.

“Following an investigation across crematoria in Scotland, failures in communication and working practice meant that ashes were not routinely returned to families following the cremation of infants,” Fife Council said. "We want to support proposals for a baby memorial in Fife that is dedicated to the babies whose ashes we failed to return.”

The Fife Babies Memorial project is guided by the parents impacted, and the local plans have been drawn up with their input and approval.

Although several parks were considered, Dunfermline Public Park at St Margaret's Drive, was the final choice.

“The memorial should be a place where families can go to commemorate their baby. In the design process one parent said it should convey the message of everlasting love,” a planning statement said.

The proposed landscape is “intentionally simple.” The sculpture will form the centrepiece, and initial drawings show a circular memorial piece with Celtic knots and nature imagery symbolised in the designs. The land to the west would provide a seated point of reflection with views across the town.