St Mary's Youth Club members praised for helping build monument to Covid-19 victims

Volunteers from St Mary's Youth Club in Creggan who helped build a public memorial in England have been praised for their hard work.

Last week, Derry arts organisation, Féile, led a group of young Creggan men to work on artist David Best and The Artichoke Trust’s latest project, Sanctuary, building an intricately carved wooden structure, Sanctuary, in the Miners’ Welfare Park in Bedworth, England.

The unique public memorial stood as an unforgettable temporary structure and space of healing, built by the local community to commemorate the loss during the Covid-19 pandemic.

^{The wooden tower structure at the Miners' Welfare Park in Bedworth, England, begins to take shape}

David Best, who helped created the famous Burning Man structure in Nevada, USA, was also involved in building the Temple in Derry back in 2015 – a 72ft wooden structure that engaged the community – and reached a total audience of 75,000 – which concluded with the structure being set alight for a spectacular bonfire.

Over the course of five days, the young Creggan men were given a mix of training in construction processes, using power tools, learning about on-site professional etiquette, working as part of a team, expanding their skill set and enabling them to support the build of Sanctuary.

They also got the chance to meet health & safety experts and learn more about the dangers of illegal fires/bonfires and the legal requirements to deliver a safe fire.

Last Saturday, the group returned to England to take part in the finale of Sanctuary, which saw the structure set alight before an audience of more than 10000 people.

Connor Brown, Youth Leader at St Mary’s Youth Club said: “This was an unforgettable, once in a lifetime opportunity for the young men who took part in this project.

“As well as being away from home and gaining valuable life skills, including being independent, the group learned many skills which they could use in future employment.

^{The completed Covid-19 Memorial wooden structure attracts a crowd}

“They were made to feel very welcome by all at Artichoke and by David Best and his crew. The group were treated as equal team members in the project and were fully involved at all stages of the construction of Sanctuary and in the burning of the structure itself.”

A spokesperson for Féile added: “Féile have been delivering alternatives to bonfires across the Bogside, Brandywell and Creggan neighbourhoods for several years.

“We have been working with St Mary’s Youth Club on a number of initiatives as part of our Communities In Transition project including supporting young men from the Creggan estate who are seeking opportunities to alter the negative stereotypes around young people in the area and bonfire alternatives.

“It was great to be able to support this group to take part in this world class event. We look forward to developing new projects with the young people and their youth leaders in the months ahead.”

^{The volunteers from Creggan-based St Mary's Youth Club reflect on a job well-done}