On Wednesday 26th October 2022 we planted a rowan tree (Sorbus aucuparia) next to Glasgow Women’s Library, on a little mound of ground near our garden.
The tree is in memory of our ever supportive and enthusiastic neighbour Margaret McLellan who died two years ago. Margaret and her family’s support for GWL came in many ways: she made a point of visiting us for every new programme’s launch, she was a regular at Herland evenings, and she never left without telling us how much she had enjoyed her visit and thanking us.
Born and raised in Bridgeton, Margaret loved her neighbourhood and wanted to see it flourish and get the attention it rightly deserves as an area with a rich history of industry, creativity, and resistance. Which is exactly what GWL hoped to help achieve when we relocated here in 2013. The support of locals such as Margaret and her family has made Bridgeton feel like home ever since.
As we enter winter, our rowan tree (known in Celtic mythology as the Tree of Life and symbolising courage, wisdom and protection) has gone into hibernation, but we look forward to the return of its leaves, then flowers and finally berries, and to seeing it grow and provide shelter and food to insects and birds for years to come.
