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Shrimps Trust representatives have outlined their pleasure after officially opening the long-awaited Memorial Garden at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium.

An opening ceremony took place prior to Morecambe’s home victory against Accrington Stanley on February 15.

That saw Derek Quinn cutting the ribbon alongside Trust chair Tarnia Elsworth and vice-secretary Matthew Newsham, who has led the project since 2023.

The garden, located near the corner of the Halo Terrace and Wright and Lord Stand, is backed by wooden fencing.

The Memorial Garden at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium was opened last month Picture: Shrimps Trust

A second consecutive million-pound loss for Morecambe

It will house plaques requested by fans and the local community, while the site is open for people to visit freely.

Fundraising efforts were driven by Derek in 2022, when he took on the challenge of walking a million steps – roughly 500 miles – over the course of 31 days.

He completed his challenge, despite breaking both his wrists halfway through, with his efforts raising some £4,000 which was then supplemented by the Trust.

Derek Quinn cut the ribbon alongside Trust vice-secretary Matthew Newsham and chair Tarnia Elsworth Picture: Shrimps Trust

Since taking on the project, trustee Matthew has worked with the club to find a suitable location for the garden and co-ordinated with a contractor to oversee its construction.

He said: “We were delighted to officially open the Memorial Garden after lots of hard work.

“Since taking the project on myself around 18 months ago, plenty of hours have gone into making sure we get it right, working with a number of different parties to ensure that this would be the case.

“The project has faced challenges, with various factors such as location and inflation needing to be navigated.

The Memorial Garden is located near the corner of the Halo Terrace and Wright and Lord Stand Picture: Shrimps Trust

“Now these have been successfully overcome, we hope that the garden will provide a place for fans and the community to reflect and pay their respects to loved ones.

“A big thank you must go to Karl Robinson, who has done a fantastic job in constructing the garden, and to Derek Quinn for kickstarting the idea and pushing it forwards with his excellent fundraising efforts.”

Plaques for the garden are currently available for purchase via the Trust’s online store at a price of £35 for Trust members and £50 for non-members.

That includes the installation of the plaques, which are guaranteed to be in place for five years, along with all maintenance and upkeep costs.

The Trust plans to consider feedback and review the pricing in future with members at its AGM.

Memorial Garden now open at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium