Hundreds of engraved ‘celebration pavers’ in hospice garden restored by local artist

The celebration pavers of the hospice have been purchased for a long time by many people in the community to celebrate the life of someone special or simply show their support to the local hospice.

These beautiful pavers are engraved with names and messages and have a special place in The Prince of Wales Hospice gardens.

As a result of wear and tear and weathering, the inscriptions on the pavers had become worn and faded and desperately needed to be restored.

The hospice’s fundraising team approached Rachel List, local mural artist, who kindly agreed to assist with the project and restore the pavers for a heavily reduced fee.

Rachel is a mural artist who painted tributes to the NHS around Pontefract throughout the Covid-19 lockdown.

She supported The Prince of Wales Hospice before by contributing her iconic artwork to be published in the Hospice’s 2021 calendars. Plenty of them were sold and raised vital funds for hospice care.

Rachel said: “My grandma was at the hospice at the end of her battle with cancer, therefore I have some personal appreciation of the work that the Hospice does.”

Whilst it may seem a simple task, it was incredibly time consuming, using a tiny paintbrush to get in the gaps and repaint the names, with some of the names entirely worn off.

Rachel said: “The great British weather meant that the project became more time consuming to complete the hundreds of names, but it is something I know will be appreciated by many and one of the small thanks that people like myself can give back.”

Emma Dunnill, Legacy and In Memory Fundraiser at The Prince of Wales Hospice said: “We could not believe our luck when local artist Rachel List agreed to help restore the pavers.

“Whilst the task was incredibly time consuming, I could see first-hand the passion that Rachel had for the project with her personal connections to the hospice.

“We are so grateful to Rachel. She has helped make such a difference to the donors who purchased the pavers and most importantly, their loved ones to whom the pavers are in memory of.”

If you would like to purchase a Celebration Paver, visit www.pwh.org.uk/pavers or call 01977708868.