It is with the utmost regret that we must announce the recent death of a long standing supporter of Walsall Arboretum – Jackie Cocken.

Park users will have seen Jackie over recent years actively involved in a wide range of projects. Jackie joined the committee of the Walsall Arboretum User Group in 2004, after retiring from a long career in teaching, including serving as Head Teacher of Blackwood School in Streetly.

The long list of achievements over the following 16 years began with the creation of the Woodland Wildlife Learning Garden in 2006, reflecting a continuing dedication to meeting the needs of young people, and continued to include the Gallery Garden, and extensive planting features created through the Heritage Lottery Restoration.

Jackie coordinated countless tree planting projects in parks and school grounds across Walsall. Working with Jo Lester she was instrumental in making a great success out of every event. She made everyone feel welcome, organised everything from refreshments to publicity and fundraising and made sure the job got done whatever the weather.

When it came to deciding on a fitting memorial for Jackie, we (her colleagues from Walsall Arboretum User Group) wanted to do something different. We felt that what Jackie would have liked most would be a small copse of trees with accompanying bulbs and British wildflowers created in her honour. We also feel that there should be a designated day when people who knew her and valued her achievements could come and plant a tree or some bulbs or perhaps scatter some seed to create that memorial. We already have tentative agreement from Walsall Healthy Spaces to site it near to the orchard which she and Jo were instrumental in creating.

This will require a limited amount of money to achieve however so we are asking for help from those who agree with our vision of a living memorial for Jackie.