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Rachael Audrey Clark-Harris says her mosaic was a 'therapeutic experience' after her mum died. She offers her creativity to enhance the garden for the enjoyment of the public

Creative Artist Rachael has dedicated the artwork at the John Dawber Garden to her mum, Julia Mary Clark, who died from a rare brain tumour in December 2022, aged 69.

Rachael commented, "Nature surrounds you here. I was retouching some of the tiles after the panels were fixed to the wall, and birds were flying all around me. I lost myself in creating the mosaics, it was a mindful experience for me. I had lost my mum and designing and making the mosaics gave me focus.

Spanning three panels, each measuring 120cm by 60cm, the colourful mosaics depict the Strelitzia or bird of paradise plant, a native of South Africa first introduced into Britain by plant hunter Francis Masson in 1773 and named by the famous Lincolnshire explorer and botanist Sir Joseph Banks. 

Banks advised King George III on the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and named Strelitzia as a tribute to the King's wife, Queen Charlotte, who hailed from the House of Mecklenberg-Strelitz.

The John Dawber Garden, in the grounds of The Lawn complex first opened in the mid-1980s to commemorate Lincoln's international twinning links. 

In December 2022, amid budget challenges, the City of Lincoln Council agreed to transfer the garden's care and maintenance under a lease to the Dawber Garden Community Trust, whose volunteers are rescuing the garden from further decline with the support of local businesses and external funding, with some basic maintenance provided by the council.

Transformational work in the garden over the past few months has included shaping overgrown shrubs, rebuilding the pond, installing a new path, creating a new dedicated school garden, cutting back ivy, new planting, and restoring benches. The Chinese-themed section of the garden is to have a complete redesign.

Volunteer days take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am.