Vocalise Spring Edition 2022

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Memorial Roses Interview with Judit Davis Written by Rhian Grant

Tell us about the Memorial Roses planting event in February?

On Saturday we planted the roses! About 15-20 people turned up and planted 13-14 rose trees along Grosvenor Road. We had help from the Bristol Rainforest. The Manure on the roses came from St Werburghs City Farm for free. It was a tremendous session of joy and connection. We’re going to plan another session for young people, it’s about the legacy as well. We also found out names for roses in different languages.

What is the Memorial Roses project?

It’s about remembrance, celebration, acknowledge-

Where else will you plant memorial roses?

ment, connecting, and honouring the past, present,

We’ve got roses on the Seventh Corner by Winkworth

and the future. So that we don’t forget, throughout

Place. I’m planning to put more roses in areas where

the pandemic and beyond, our history as black

they’ll flourish best. I want to make sure it’s safe,

people, hundreds of years of enslavement and

beautiful, and practical, and find out if the Council

trauma. I also wanted something that was beautiful

can support us to make the roses along Grosvenor

here. There’s Portland Square just up the road with

Road protected, and to maintain them.

roses which are protected. That area is maintained to such a high level. I can’t say there’s anywhere in St Pauls that has that same care given to it. We’ve got enough beauty and enough history that the same entitlement is for us. You can have beauty and connection happen everywhere. We’ve had a dream, and we need the community now to say what they would like it to grow into.

Where did the dream come from?

The idea came about during Covid, and there was so much grief, sadness, confusion, isolation. I was lucky enough to take up some gardening. There were so

What are your future hopes for the rose bed on

many funerals and we couldn’t go. And if I went out

Grosvenor Road?

somebody would tell me about someone else who

Every child deserves to live in a beautiful place.

had passed. Some were people I knew, but I couldn’t

There’s lots of beautiful areas but everywhere should

even remember their faces because I’d not seen

have the same standard. Why are we accepting

them for a long while. From that, and conversations

rubbish and thinking that it’s ok? If the council doesn’t

I’d had with people in the community, and reading

have the manpower, we as a community do. We take

about black roses. People have connotations with

the fork, we take the spade and we get on with it.

black, but I don’t have those connotations. It’s a gift,

Each rose on Saturday was planted by a different

from a new-born child you come through a dark

individual. And Dr Flex said, “Each one of these trees

womb into this beautiful world. And death, for some

is going to be beautiful because they’ve been planted

people it’s a passing on into the next life, it’s our

with love.” My future plan is that it is blooming lovely.

ancestors. I thought if only there could be something

Flourishingly lovely. Better than Portland Square all

to remember them by, and people who have gifted

the year round, and it’s in St Pauls!

so much to our community. We’ve suffered a lot, in different ways. With black roses we can

To contact Judith for more information, or to donate,

memorialise that, and show that things will carry on

or help out, email Judith_v_davis@outlook.com

15