Patch 137

PATCH MAKER: Damian
LOCATION:
MESSAGE:The patch was designed by me and a lady in our road called Pam Jordan. It was sewn by Pam. It incorporates the idea of a tree into the design. Beech Rd is a cul-de-sac with Bournville Park at the bottom (soil, ground roots) and Bournville Lane at the top (branches, boughs), but the houses alongside the road could also be twigs and leaves representing houses and homes. Beech is a type of tree, and the sandy covered fabric that outlines the road shape, is supposed to convey this. But it could also be the soil or sand things need to grow. The rough grey covered fabric of the blanket is exposed within the design resembling tarmac. There is an irony here, perhaps - we need to build upon nature to live as humans - but doing that can also smother the natural world we also need to survive. I originally suggested the embroidered message should be 'don't kill the tree', but Pam thought this too prohibitive! She suggested 'nurture the tree' instead - much gentler and more affirming. This could be the tree of the street and community in the road, but more broadly the 'Tree of Life' which has both theological and scientific meanings. Sadly we're not doing enough of nurturing in either sense.