Membership

2003

The team that I am putting together at the Memory Garden Project have a diverse range of experiences and personal attributes. Some of them I have been working with now for over two years.

William is a seventeen year old student. He has a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome. He has a sensitivity towards people and environment and can translate these qualities into dynamic balancing of structures made from brick, wood, natural material. He warms grsdually to people, buoilding on experiences and points of interest, yet seems to "get" what they are about immediately, by their gestures and rhythm of communication. He is equally comfortable with nonverbal people as with verbal people, bridging as he does in his own experience, both worlds.

Molly is a sixty year old retired woman. She is able to create a focal point of confidence and continuity and has been coming for so long that she seems to hold the history of the place. She is an excellent mentor and is skillful at interpreting and holding people's life experiences so as to acknowledge difficulties while directing towards change. She has no diagnosi of any known condition but experiences difficulties with large groups.

Lee is a Sculpturer who became involved a few months ago. He has a practical directness and can get things going efore anyone has even turnedto see that he has got things going. Frequently he provides interesting material, visiting woods and parklands to salvage natural materials. He is also gifted at providing a safe framework for our members with more severe Special Needs. He as a clear sense of safety whilst also being able to experinece the value and specialness of the moment and to communicate a sense of achievement and possibility to those whom he works with.

Cecille has a real sense of the quality of materials. She combines these naturally and effortlessly to create forms and sculptures of quality and personal insight. Her obvious love for the feel and texture of this work naturally draws people in who becomeintrigued and inspired through the value and appreciation which she brings to whatever she does. Cecille was a Research Mathematician who tooka different direction after being disgnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and Dyslexia.

Sue is the mother of Chi, a boy of fifteen with autism who comes regularly to the project. Sue is skilled in Gardening and cooking. Within her natural organising skills she is ale to ensure openings into which our members can then become effective. She will for instance prepare and cut food and then encourage membrs to get involved with combining and stirring ingredients. For people who have difficulties in sequencing and thinking ahead, she can create a structure which is clear because it is visually compelling. Her gardening skills too are executed effortlessly often preparing the ground and initiating the fiirtst planting giving others a direction around which to get involved.

Margaret is the mother of William. Margaret has an ability to think by analogy around given situations and problems. She is excellent at linking our aims and the foundations of what we stand for with other projects and concerns. She has a deep sense of understanding of the mind-set of autistic people and can subtly draw on the strengths of such a mind-set whilst silently supporting, without drawing attention to, the areas of difficulty. Margaret has a deep sense of integrity which she can translate into the written word in email dialogues which gradually allows one to get to the grit of an idea or feeling. She can analyse the way that a situation may be interpreted by others and can therefore avert possible misinterpretation. She has come up with many original ideas for web-pages and seep packets.

These are some of the more pivotal members. I hope this helps to give you a sense of our overal structure.

Yours Sincerely,


Ruth Solomon
Founder Member of Memory Gardens Sculpture Project
____


Part of a letter to a representative of National Children's Home who own the land on which the garden project was situated. This was in response for their request for more details about current members.