Baby ashes scandal: Families to have say in fitting memorial

Two public consultation events have been organised for next week to help inform the design of the proposed memorial, which was promised by Fife Council in the wake of the baby ashes scandal which first surfaced in 2012.

Following revelations about shocking practices at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh, a subsequent investigation found that baby remains in Fife were either scattered in the crematoria gardens or in a number of cases due to the cremation process at the time no remains were retrieved.

That led to a working group being set up to create a memorial to those babies, with Kirkcaldy’s Beveridge Park and Dunfermline Public Park shortlisted as the preferred venue.

The hour-long sessions will be held at Kirkcaldy Town House at 6.30pm on Tuesday, February 1, and at 6.30pm at Dunfermline City Chambers on Thursday, February 3, and will give people the chance to speak with project designers.

Avril Guild, bereavement lead officer at Fife Council, has sent a brief presentation to interested parties ahead of the consultation and thanked people for their “invaluable” views thus far which has set a strong brief for the memorial.

“At the design consultation evening, Fife Council representatives will explain the purpose and process of the design consultation, answer any questions on the points in the presentation, support you to complete the questionnaire and provide an outline timeline,” she added.

“We hope people will share their thoughts with our designers to inspire the design of a fitting memorial.”

Three locations in the two towns have been earmarked for such a memorial, with a secluded area enclosed by mature trees being considered in Dunfermline’s Public Park.

As for Kirkcaldy’s Beveridge Park, spots between the Rose Garden and boating pond, and between the trees surrounding the fountain roundabout and the path to the boating pond, are being looked at.

As it will be in a public place, council officials have said that a balance of “seclusion and surveillance” must be struck, while any elements must be “robust” as it will be exposed to the elements.

Parents taking part in last year’s consultation expressed a wish for a place to sit alongside a garden or flowerbeds and a structure or statue, while almost 70% of respondents also wished to include the names of babies in some shape or form.

Various options are included in the presentation submitted to parents, such as planting to help create atmosphere, bamboo to provide screening, or the growth of lavender or allium which have notable scents.

Other options highlighted include the potential for man-made or plant-formed enclosures, and even a QR code panel which could take people to a digital list of baby names and tributes.

Nothing has been ruled in or out though, and a number of ways for people to take part have been arranged.

Anyone wishing to attend either of the public consultation events must e-mail [email protected] to let staff know in advance as COVID restrictions will be in place.

Alternatively, people can complete an online questionnaire via https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx...

The consultation will close on Thursday, February 10, 2022.

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