The family of a Leeds man, who lost his life after battling alcohol misuse, has used the money collected at his funeral to plant trees in his memory.
Relatives of Kevin Collinson from Tinshill, who died last September, worked with gardeners from Forward Leeds’ Grow Together group. Members of the group are all in recovery from alcohol or drug misuse.
Kevin’s former partner Michelle O’Neill said: ”We wanted to do this because Forward Leeds were so good to Kevin. When he couldn’t physically get in for his appointments his worker would come to see him”.
Michelle continued: “Kevin loved his gardening, especially trees. If he had been able to sort himself out he would have loved to join the Grow Together group. That’s what makes this memorial so fitting for him”
Kevin Collinson
Helen Falkiner of Forward Leeds, who was Kevin’s worker, added: “When I was told at the funeral the family wanted Forward Leeds to have the money they had raised, it seemed so right to put it towards the Grow Together group. Kevin often talked with me about one of his goals being to join this group when he got better.”
As well as the two fruit trees in the garden in Woodhouse Moor, there is also a brass memorial plaque celebrating Kevin’s life.
The Grow Together gardening group is run from the Forward Leeds recovery hub “5 WAYS @ the Recovery Academy”. The Grow Together group is run jointly between 5 WAYS and Hyde Park Source a local environmental charity.
Their allotment, named, ‘The Lost Plot’ is in the Hyde Park area of Leeds and is part of the Outdoors, Active & Well joint partnership project that enables people to improve their mental health and wellbeing through environmental and green activities.