Bereaved mum's fears for Dundee baby memorial tree

A bereaved mother has criticised the proposed closure of a Dundee University-run garden containing a memorial sculpture to families who have lost babies.

The university said it was considering withdrawing from the Botanic Garden as part of its plans to save a further £20m.

The garden also hosts the Tree of Tranquilty, organised by the charity Simba, which supports bereaved families.

Eilidh Jamieson, whose daughter Lily was stillborn at 27 weeks in 2021, said she felt "sadness and shock" at news of the proposal.

The university said it was "continuing to explore alternative options for the future of the garden."

The tree, a metal sculpture with individually engraved copper leaves, was unveiled in June 2019.

Eilidh told BBC Scotland Drivetime: "We had one made up for our daughter, and my husband and I had her dedication put on that leaf and it was attached to that tree.

"We went incredibly frequently to start with, it's just a beautiful location, it's very peaceful, very private, it's very quiet.

"It was somewhere we felt we could be open with our grief."

Eilidh said that as Lily was cremated and there is no gravestone, the memorial tree is the only place she can go to remember her daughter.

She said she only found out that the garden's future was under threat in the media.

Eilidh said: "There was no prior warning or information.

"There's been no reassurances, there's been no forethought as to how that would make people feel hearing it in the manner we did."

Eilidh said she felt the garden had given Lily "a footprint in the world."

She said: "When I had my son, after Lily, we took him there to kind of introduce him to his sister and spent time as a family there.

"We did that again with my second son, it's not just the tree itself.

"It's the setting and the place that is in the memories that people have associated with it."

A petition to save the Botanic Garden from closure has gained almost 10,000 signatures.

Eilidh said: "The Botanic Garden itself is quite unique.

"The absolute best case scenario would be if a trusted service would take over the running of the space so that we could maintain not only the sculpture itself, but its setting, which is incredibly important."

A Dundee University spokesperson said: "The university is proposing to cease running the Botanic Garden.

"We are continuing to explore alternative options for the future of the garden."

A spokesperson for Simba said the charity had contacted the team which looks after the tree for an update and timeline regarding the potential closure of the gardens.

The spokesperson said: "We will, of course keep families updated on any changes as soon as we know more and can put a plan together when we have more information."