Hoyland, Owd Martha's Yard, Rear of Belmont Club, Memorial Bench

Memorial Bench photo taken 3 August 2020

 

There is a small plaque mounted on one of the support posts of the surrounding wooden gazebo. 

Dedication plaque photo taken 3 August 2020

Inscription:

This Special Seat Is To Commemorate All Our Service Personnel Who Lost Their Lives In Conflict

This article appeared in the Barnsley Chronicle 10 November 2017:

Alex hits a new benchmark by Oliver Dyson
Alex Dodson has created everything from Freddy Krueger to Darth Vader with his welding business, he has turned his torch to something a bit different for remembrance.
The 34-year-old former technology teacher, who now runs business Burned by Design from his Hoyland home, was commissioned by the people at Owd Martha's Yard to create a special bench. And Alex has risen to the challenge, designing a decorative back for the seat which immortalises soldiers lost in war.
Alex said: "I was approached by the Owd Martha's Yard committee and asked to design or fabricate something which wourld remember our fallen soldiers.
"I incorporated silhouettes of soldiers from the First World War, Second World War and modern warfare so it could relate to all ages.
"There is a poppy on the bench back and on the sides along with the Owd Martha's Yard insignia.
"The painting was done by a local lad's company, Chris Akid who owns BAW coatings in Sheffield.
"He has several employees from the Hoyland area and allowed them all to get involved doing various jobs from blasting, undercoating, painting and detailing.
"I thought it would be cool to get involved in something that was bespoke for them."
The bench is due to be installed for Remembrance Sunday.

This bench was installed in time for Remembrance Sunday 2017. An article in a local magazine (Barnsley Today, No.37, December 2017, p.9) says:

Commemorative Bench Opens
A fantastic looking new bench was recently unveiled at Owd Martha's Yard in Hoyland on Remembrance Sunday.
With it being the 100th Anniversary of the First World War next year, Hoyland now has a permanent reminder, not to just commemorate the First World War, but all conflict that took place, which is waht the design is all about.
... the wonderful creation has been designed by local man Alex Dobson. Alex makes bespoke fire pits under the name 'Burn by Design'. Ironically the bench briefly left Hoyland to be painted in Sheffield, only for it to be painted by a Hoyland man Chris Atkin. So the bench was truly made by Hoyland folk from start to finish.
The bench was funded by private funding along with some post code funding and is for the enjoyment and pleasure of local people in Hoyland.

A search online confirms that Alex Dodson's company is 'Burned by Design' and he  has a website under that name. 

A follow up piece appeared in the Barnsley Chronicle on Friday 17 November 2017:

Detour to take in new bench
The Remembrance Sunday march through Hoyland took a slight detour this year to allow those involved to view a new bench installed at Owd Martha's Yard community garden.
It was designed and built by Alex Dodson, 34, a former technology teacher who now runs a metal working business Burned by Design and was commissioned for the task by the volunteers who run the garden.
The design is intended to recognise the sacrifice made by military personnel though the ages and incorporates images of those who served in both World Wars as well as modern images.
The parade is organised annually by the Royal British Legion Hoyland branch and included a service at the war memorial in West Street.

There are lots of photos of the bench under constrution and during installation on the Owd Martha's Yard Facebook page if you scroll back through the albums to October and November 2017.

 

Ref: HYL15