This week, we unveiled a throne designed and built as a memorial for Scarf’s late Chief Executive, Billy Sloan, on the second anniversary of his untimely death.
The majestic throne, which stands at over 2 metres tall, was created by prisoners from HMP & YOI Grampian.
Staff members past and present, representatives from HMP & YOI Grampian and Mr Sloan’s family gathered in the Scarf gardens to witness the unveiling of the throne which has been a month in the making.
Scarf staff came up with the idea of creating a memorial as part of 2Scarf, a staff group tasked with generating ideas that have a positive impact on the organisation’s ways of working.
Scarf’s Andrew Smith said of the project: “Billy was the epitome of Scarf, he lit up a room and brought joy to all who knew him, he also loved his work and staff had so much respect for him. We knew that we wanted to create something special as a tribute to him and the work that he put into Scarf. It was suggested that we partner with another organisation to develop something special.
“We met with staff at HMP & YOI Grampian and presented our ideas of what we wanted to achieve. Billy was definitely a character so we wanted to create something bold that reflected his personality. They took all of our thoughts on board and from there they worked with the prisoners to create something that met our brief, and we could not be happier with the result.”
Roz McCurrach (HMP and YOI Grampian) and Thane Lawrie (Chief Executive, Scarf) with the memorial throne
Roz McCurrach from HMP & YOI Grampian, said: “We were delighted when Scarf approached us with their project idea. Many of our prisoners attend a variety of workshops which give them hands on experience that they can make use of once they leave custody. This project seemed like the perfect task for our woodwork workshop, involving the prisoner’s right from the outset allowed them to take on a brief and come up with a design that met the clients wishes. The group worked on it alongside two officer instructors right through until the full throne was completed and sent to Scarf.
“The throne itself was built entirely from reclaimed wood, mostly broken down pallets, which have been donated to the prison from various organisations. It took approximately a month to make, on and off, with one prisoner taking the lead, although others were involved. We are delighted with the outcome and are pleased that Scarf will be able to enjoy their tribute to Mr Sloan.”
Scarf’s current Chief Executive, Thane Lawrie, said: “When we first came up with the idea of a memorial for Billy it was suggested that we dedicate a bench to him in our garden area at Cotton Street. However, once the discussion started flowing and stories were shared of Billy’s infectious personality and love for all things grand, we knew a bench just wouldn’t cut it.
“I am absolutely delighted at the result we have seen from the prisoners and staff at HMP & YOI Grampian and cannot thank them enough for providing us with a lasting memorial for a man that worked so hard to make Scarf the great organisation it is today.”
