G P Jackson

"I was nearly crying afterwards... maybe you think that's silly but that's the way it was."

The Story

One cold winter's day, George Jackson was on the seafront in Newcastle when he happened on a small group of people enacting a mysterious ceremony. As the rest watched, a young man waded fully-clothed into the cold seawater and threw a single red rose into the waves. This is the touching story of what they were doing and of George Jackson's response.

The story continues...

When we spoke to George, we were hoping that the people he spoke to that day in Newcastle might have given him more information about the uncle they were commemorating and the significance of the rose.

Was it in memory of a lover, a relative, or just a tribute to the place? Or did the dead man know the ancient Norse custom that George mentioned?

The exact meaning of the red rose and its association with Newcastle will have to remain a tantalising mystery, like the Rosebud in Citizen Kane. Perhaps a beautiful question is sometimes better than a prosaic answer.

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You can watch the BBC One Northern Ireland animation of Sara's story in the player below (after its broadcast). A total of 15 stories from the series have been animated for the screen. Go to the Days Like This TV page to browse through the episodes in the series.

Comments:

Name: Lyn
Date: 19/12/2008
Comment: I loved George's story and have watched it several times... how amazing to witness something so special. It really touched me.



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