The iconic steel ‘Tree of Life’ at Rotherham Hospice has been affectionately brought to life with the inclusion of names of lost but not forgotten loved ones thanks to local marking company Pryor Marking.

The three metres high stainless steel Tree of Life sculpture was created by Yorkshire Man of Steel designer Steve Mehdi and built thanks to the generosity of several South Yorkshire companies. 

Pryor Marking were the final company in a chain of local businesses, to help make this monument possible as an everlasting tribute to the memory of those patients cared for at the Rotherham Hospice.

Whilst Pryor offers all manner of quality marking solutions, each leaf  on the Tree of Life has been lovingly scribed by the company using modern laser marking technology, providing a quality record of each individual supported by the hospice.

“As a company committed to supporting our local community and owned by a charitable trust, we are always looking to help deserving local charities and we are really happy to be able to offer support using our specialist skills as engravers to provide a permanent memory of loved ones in our region,” said Alastair Morris, Sales Director

The sculpture, inspired by the shape of an existing tree in the Hospice gardens stands in pride of place amongst its natural counterparts.   It was officially unveiled in May after three years in the planning and has already raised over £35,000 due to the support of bereaved relatives, whose loved ones received hospice care. So far, it includes over 290 individual leaves which have been purchased and dedicated to a lost loved one.

Andy Hales, who oversees this project at Pryor commented: “This is a remarkable project and one we are pleased to be involved with as it succinctly links with our ethos as a company, dedicated to helping local people through our work and via our training and apprenticeship programmes.  We are passionate about quality marking whatever technology we are using and are dedicated to helping develop the skills of younger generations.”

The late 20th and early 21st Centuries have seen Pryor maintain their position as a world leading supplier of identification technologies with the development of machines, software and automation solutions.

“This project is a culmination of many months of hard work and passion by a variety of different businesses and we are honoured that they have worked so well together to provide this incredible sculpture.  It will continue to be a living memory of lost loved ones that we have been fortunate enough to have met and helped during their lifetime,” commented Peter Bradley, hospice director of fundraising and marketing.

To find out more about the Tree of Life visit www.rotherhamhospice.org.uk/tree-of-life