Memorial benches to tell stories of people's lives

A project celebrating people who have park benches dedicated to them is using QR codes to share video stories about their lives.

Parklife Ipswich is a citizen-led website and social media campaign highlighting the town's 28 parks and open spaces.

Lily Sparrow, who died in 2024 aged 27, has a bench dedicated to her in Christchurch Park.

Her father Simon said: "For years I've come to the park and sat on a bench and thought 'I wonder what the story is about this person?'"

Mr Sparrow is the first to record a Benchlife story after responding to a Facebook post about the project.

He said it was "very cathartic" to talk about his daughter.

"This is a place that [Lily] absolutely loved and spent many, many years from childhood through to adulthood, and would love the fact that there are people coming and sitting, relaxing, thinking, enjoying the space where she's commemorated," he said.

Parklife Ipswich was started by Wendy Hodgson as a "non-commercial, citizen-led project".

She has teamed up with Sarah Tieck, who creates and shares community films on social media under This is Ipswich.

Ms Hodgson said: "There are certain benches that we've looked up, and you find out how that person died, but we were really interested in that person's life and how they've lived.

"We just thought it'd be really great if people can sit on a bench and connect with that life, and understand what the park's significance was to them."

Ms Tieck added: "We've given people the option if you feel comfortable of being on camera or we can record your voice or we can read out the story for you.

"Then we are capturing images and videos of their loved ones throughout favourite parts of their life and then creating a three-minute video which then goes on social media."

The project is self-funded, with Ms Hodgson wanting to highlight the town's parks.

"The parks in Ipswich and the open spaces are accessible to anyone, there's so much that goes on, so many events but also incidental moments which you do every day," she told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"You might have a picnic after school, or kids learn to walk or ride a bike or sledge down a hill.

"We all live our lives here and it's really important that everyone knows how lucky we are and feels that sense of pride."

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.