Lady Sarah McCorquodale, sister of Diana Princess of Wales and former High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, to open memorial to county's road crash victims

The sister of Princess Diana, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is to open a memorial to Lincolnshire's road crash victims in Boston later this year.
Lady Sarah McCorquodale EMN-180202-114825001Lady Sarah McCorquodale EMN-180202-114825001
Lady Sarah McCorquodale EMN-180202-114825001

Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who lives in the county and is a former High Sherriff for Lincolnshire, will visit Westgate Woods on Saturday, April 21, to officially open the memorial area in a poignant ceremony.

Diana, Princess of Wales, died following a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997 at the age of 36.

A spokesman said that Lady Sarah had replied to a written invitation to open the memorial saying she would be delighted to do so.

The event follows a two-year fundraising campaign by a group of volunteers.

Campaign organiser Anne Bourne, of Boston, lost her daughter in a horrendous crash in which four people died and five children were left without their mothers.

Her other daughter was seriously injured.

She said: “It has been a long, hard slog and I couldn’t have done it without all the support I have had from group members.

“We have been bowled over by the generosity we have received from those who have made donations and supported the fundraising events.

“We are all very grateful.”

Organisers say the event will be ‘a day of celebration of the lives of those remembered and not at all sad or mournful’.

Music and refreshments are planned for invited guests and supporters.

Lady Sarah will cut a ribbon to make public the memorial stone being crafted by sculptor James Sutton.

It will signal an end to the £45,000 fundraising campaign to provide a path through the woods to the memorial space so that anyone can access it.

Wild flowers inside an avenue of lime trees will border the pathway, which will have a stone finish in keeping with the natural look of the woodland area.

A wet oak shelter is to be constructed to one side of the path for quiet reflection and to remember all those who have died in tragic circumstance on county roads.

The Lakeland green slate memorial, suitably engraved with a dedication and symbolic footsteps, will be laid into the path.

Boston Woods Trust, which owns and manages the woodland on the outskirts of Boston, made the area available, alongside one of the avenues which all point towards Boston Stump in the distance.

The Trust successfully bid for a £10,000 Heritage Lottery Grant to help pay towards the cost of the path, with the memorial committee adding its contribution.

People can still make a donation by paying in to the Louise and Sarah Memorial Fund at Lloyds Bank, account number 01303486, sort code 30-91-04.

Anne also wants to hear from anyone who could lend a PA system for the unveiling and camping stoves for hot refreshments.

Anyone who wishes to help can call Anne on 01205 367892.

The campaign has been supported by Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership and Churches Together In All Lincolnshire.

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