Festival 2024

Remembrance and Reflection

Organised by Rowan Alba CARDS Community

Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh

This activity is for Rowan Alba’s CARDS Community.

Rowan Alba’s Remembrance and Reflection event takes place in Edinburgh’s Botanic Gardens.  

Our CARDS Community supports isolated individuals who have a problematic relationship with alcohol and may have no other support networks.

Members of our community, volunteers and staff gather in this relaxing and inspiring natural space to reflect on how they are feeling and remember people who are no longer with us.  Members use poetry and art to express feelings of mortality.  We create a safe non judgemental space to allow people to talk openly about illness, being frightened or anxious and different stages of grief.  We spend time walking in the gardens as well as hearing poetry and philosophical readings and looking at art works to help aid discussion.  Spending time chatting with others, especially about people we all knew, helps process grief.