“Bloody well get on and do it”
After a couple of days on the trot of mildly depressing posts about memorials, here’s another. Don’t worry, I’m fine.
This is Redcar’s memorial to their remarkable and much-loved MP, the late Mo Mowlam. She famously didn’t want the job as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which she became following Labour’s 1997 election victory. Yet, despite her reservations, she threw herself into the role, overseeing the negotiations which led to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
This remarkable legacy was achieved despite having been diagnosed with a metastatic brain tumour in late 1996, which sadly finally ended her life in 2005.
This memorial was unveiled in 2009: an intricate mosaic designed by local artist John Todd. It was installed alongside the new-refurbished Coatham Boating lake, a stone’s throw from her former home. (The boating lake has since sprung a leak, hence it looking a little under-filled in the background of that picture.)