Last Sunday, I paid a visit to the Eccles Artisan Street Market and, I have to say, it was a terrific success.
The variety of stalls, along with street theatre, live music, food and drink and plenty of seating areas, created a fantastic atmosphere in the town centre. It was the sort of event that makes you think Eccles could really benefit from having something like this as a regular fixture in the town’s calendar.
But among all the stalls, one in particular caught my eye.
It wasn’t selling food, drink or crafts. Instead, it carried a simple but intriguing sign:
“Have You Seen This Stone?”
Naturally, I went over to investigate and got chatting to artist Lowri Evans, who explained the story behind the unusual appeal.
Lowri is developing an art project in Eccles involving young people, with a performance and film planned for next year. The project takes the experiences of the “youths of Eccles” in 1997 as its starting point, but will explore much wider themes of youth, time and the town itself.
She told me:
“I’m hoping it’s an intergenerational project that reveals just how extraordinary everyday lives are.
“The stone is just the start of the project really, but does question who gets to be remembered — or wants to be.
“I’ll be working with the council and youth services, as well as local schools.”
The stone in question has a fascinating story of its own.
I made some further enquiries and discovered that it was the first memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales, in the North West, having been laid in December 1997.
That immediately got me thinking about the people involved and the memories surrounding its creation. I put an appeal out on Facebook asking if anyone remembered the memorial and the events surrounding it — and I was absolutely delighted by the response.
Among those who got in touch was Claire Cartwright Grosvenor, who revealed that she had actually been one of the local young people involved in the project.
Claire explained that the initiative was called the 999 Challenge, with local youngsters working alongside the emergency services and completing a series of tasks designed to demonstrate that they were responsible and good citizens.
The memorial garden became the final challenge.
The young people helped dig out the space for the stone, while the word DIANA was spelled out in flowers in front of it.
Claire also sent me some incredible photographs from the time — including images of the opening ceremony and photographs of her and the rest of the team working alongside the police and fire service back in 1997.
Another person to contact me was Woz Taylor, who told me that he too had worked on the project. Woz kindly sent over some fantastic photographs showing the opening of the memorial, including images of the then Mayor of Salford, Robert Carter, carrying out the official unveiling, as well as photographs of those who helped create the garden.
I was absolutely thrilled to receive these photographs.
They are much more than simply old pictures. They are pieces of Eccles’ social history — a record of local young people, community organisations and the emergency services coming together at a very significant moment in our history.
The death of Diana in August 1997 was an event that affected people across the country, and the memorial in Eccles provides a fascinating local snapshot of how people responded.
Almost 30 years later, people still ask the question:
“Where were you when you heard that Diana had been killed?”
These photographs and memories help bring that moment back to life — not just through the national story, but through the people of Eccles who experienced it themselves.
And that is exactly why Lowri’s project is so interesting.
The stone may be the starting point, but behind it are dozens of individual stories: the young people who took part in the 999 Challenge, the emergency service workers who supported them, the people who helped create the garden, those who attended the opening and the wider community who watched it all unfold.
It raises an important question about local history too: what gets remembered, and what gets forgotten?
Sometimes the most fascinating pieces of history are not found in museums or archives. They are sitting quietly in a garden, a street or a corner of a town — waiting for somebody to ask the right question.
In this case, that question is a simple one:
Have you seen this stone?
I have spoken to Lowri since our meeting at the market, and she is very keen to hear from anybody who was involved in the creation of the memorial garden, the 999 Challenge or the events surrounding its opening.
If you have memories, photographs or information that could help with her project, please contact Lowri on 07338 791421.
Alternatively, you can contact me and I will make sure the information is passed on to her.
You never know — your memories could help bring another fascinating chapter of Eccles’ history back to life.
