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Tirphil’s new memorial wall and garden is a ‘haven’ where people can come and remember their loved ones, residents have said. 

The memorial wall and garden are part of the newly refurbished Tirphil Community Centre, which is on School Street.

The centre was reopened earlier this year by locals Coral Williams and Edward White –  just in time for its 40th anniversary.

This comes despite the centre being threatened with closure just two years ago. 

The memorial space is just one of many new introductions at the centre and it has already found a special place in residents’ hearts. 

Tracey Giffard, 52, from New Tredegar, told Caerphilly Observer what it meant to her family. 

“We’ve got a lot of forces in our family,” said Tracey, “That memorial garden is a haven for my Mam.”

Tracey, who sits on on New Tredegar Community Council, has a number of family members on the wall, including aunties, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents as well as two babies who were lost. 

Tracey continued: “For people who’ve got loved ones who aren’t here, to see their names on the wall…it helps.”

Carol Meredith, 63, lives in Tirphil and also has members of her family on the wall – including her mother, father, sister and nephew.

Carol said: “It’s lovely, really nice,” adding that just recently she and a friend went out for a walk and sat on the bench chatting for an hour. 

She said that her family members are grouped together on the wall and that it is “a place to think about them and talk about them”.

Coral Williams told Caerphilly Observer more about the plans to introduce the memorial space and said: “When we looked at opening the centre, we wanted different things that engage all aspects of the community and as awful as it is death engages people.”

There is no community garden in the area, and the exterior of the building has not been renovated recently so it makes good use of the area, according to Coral.

It also ensures people who are disabled and cannot travel to reach nearby cemeteries or war memorials have something on their doorstep to remember loved ones. 

Coral said: “They can remember their loved ones, they’re always part of this community.”

The wall and garden are located outside the centre, with people able to place plaques of loved ones for £5. 

The plaques are kept to the same size as the bricks, so they are in keeping with the building. 

People can then come and visit the area, sit on the benches and even provide a plant for the small memorial garden which Edward takes care of.

It is also another way of bringing people into the hub.

Coral continued: “It’s amazing how many people you see just sitting on those benches.

“It just gives them that bit of peace hopefully.”