Land gifted to St. Michael’s Church in Steeple Claydon for a Garden of Reflection.

The Verney family is delighted to have gifted a plot of land to St. Michael’s Church in Steeple Claydon, to be used as a peaceful ‘Garden of Reflection’ for the community to freely enjoy.

Tryph Foster, Events & Marketing Manager at Claydon Estate, recently caught up with The Reverend Rickey Simpson-Gray to discuss the inspiration behind this initiative and what this garden will mean to the community.

We thank The Reverend Rickey Simpson-Gray for sharing his thoughts below.

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND CREATING A GARDEN OF REFLECTION?

I felt that people needed a place to come and commemorate the memories of those who have been lost, as well as having a peaceful space to reflect, meditate and find solace in nature. I am constantly inspired by the power of nature to lift spirits and offer comfort during difficult times. I felt that a Garden of Reflection would be the perfect way in which to do this.

I’m delighted that the Verney family have gifted the church a piece of land so that we can create a Garden of Reflection for the community.

We’re happy to announce that we have secured funding from the National Lottery and Buckinghamshire Council. In addition to this funding, HS2 has offered to assist with some of the landscaping and fencing, and will offer resources and expertise as needed. The funding and support will be utilised to create the garden and make it a lovely area that everyone across the Parish of the Claydons and beyond can enjoy.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE GARDEN?

Our vision is for the garden to be filled with beautiful plants and flowers. Benches will be scattered throughout to provide a place to sit and reflect. As it’s a rural space we’ll be focusing on enhancing the feeling of nature. The garden will be open to everyone in the community, regardless of their faiths or beliefs. 

I have always believed in the power of community and the importance of supporting one another through difficult times and I believe that the Garden of Reflection will help support this. It will be a wonderful addition to our community.  

We’re so pleased to be working with award winning garden designer William Butterworth. As part of his company’s charitable objectives, he designs gardens of reflection free of charge. He’s put several design ideas forward using his skills and expertise to help create our vision.

Having explored several of the ideas we’ve chosen a simple design which will give us an excellent blueprint from which to start.  The design will allow us to start small, and over the years hopefully develop it in a way which is easy to manage and maintain.

I can’t wait to see it coming to life over the coming months; hopefully it’ll be ready to open to the public in Autumn 2023. We’ll be keeping the community up to date with our plans by having regular updates in the Claydons Parish magazine.

DO YOU FORESEE THE LOCAL COMMUNITY HELPING TO MAINTAIN THE GARDEN?          

We would really like to involve the community in a such way that it becomes “everyone’s” garden. This way it’s not just a Church of England (and Diocese of Oxford’s) garden, it has a sense of deep community and belonging.

We’re currently looking at many ways in which the community can be involved so watch this space!

HOW DO YOU SEE THE GARDEN OF REFLECTION FITTING IN TO THE LARGER CONTEXT OF SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICE?

It’s very much about healing the mind, body and spirit. In terms of my faith, I try and appeal to the emotional needs of people, I think now more than ever we need help and support for our mental health.  I get to hear the plight of many families who are struggling and families who are grieving the loss of their loved ones. If we can provide a space for people just “to be” I hope we can help them to face the next day with a bit more encouragement and happiness.

The garden that we are creating will not just be a beautiful space, but a spiritual one as well.  For many people, spirituality is about finding a connection with the natural world. The Garden of Reflection is a place where people can come to find that connection, to meditate, pray or simply sit in quiet contemplation.  A place where people can escape the busyness of everyday life, to find a sense of peace and tranquillity, a place which will provide comfort and solace in difficult times and a place to inspire a greater sense of connection and community.

The garden isn’t tied to any particular religious tradition, but it is open to people of all faiths and beliefs.

I’ve learnt over the years that there are different channels to engage with people and I hope our Garden of Reflection will help support this.