Plans for Doncaster’s first ‘baby rainbow memorial garden’ rejected by council

The council did say that the plan could potentially go ahead with alterations to make it more environmentally friendly.

A council spokesperson said: “I can confirm that the project proposal submitted to Street Scene cannot unfortunately be supported as it does not align with our Green Space Memorial Policy.

“That said we would most definitely support a more environmentally friendly project that could potentially consist of things like bulb planting, tree planting, benches and interpretation boards and the like.

“This would fit with the Council’s climate change and naturalisation agenda.”

The council’s Green Space Memorial Policy dictates that memorials must fit the surrounding areas, and have a common appearance and style.

The project was proposed by Andrew and Donna Clifford and Bethan Morse, who have all dealt with baby loss.

Donna and Andrew lost their son Rory in 2019 while Bethan lost her son George in 2020.

The plan has also been supported by members of Friends of Sandall Park, the volunteer group which maintains the area.

The Cliffords proposed the plans after they successfully created a similar garden in Scunthorpe.

Despite the council’s rejection, the group have begun raising money for the garden.

At a fundraiser walk through the park on Saturday, they raised over £600.

Organisers have also set up a petition to make the council reconsider their decision, which can be found here: https://petitions.sumofus.org/petitions/re-think-baby-rainbow-memorial-gardens-in-doncaster-sandall-park?source=rawlink&utm_source=rawlink&share=34cf1c84-3754-473f-9b86-79efdb542456&fbclid=IwAR3ArXDmR_HxTdX5WJ08nNo05VoRzPxFckyitCaCgOj2FCedoub2og2a5_E