Fernhead Road Methodist Church, London
June, 2014
Memorial window in honour of 7/7 victim - Shyanuja Parathasangary
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We were commissioned to design and make a memorial stained glass window in honour of Shyanuja Parathasangary - a victim of the 7/7 terror attacks. It was an honour to design the window in memory of Shayanuja and we hope the stained glass has captured her spirit and legacy.
Following is a news article taken from the Brent & Killburn Times: 28 June 2014 Samantha Lewis "Shyanuja Parathasangary, 30, of Whitmore Gardens, was one of the 52 victims killed in the terrorist attacks which tore through London on the morning of July 7, 2005. Since her death her parents Ruth and Sangary Parathasangary have avoided the Methodist Church in Fernhead Road, where she worshipped as they found it too painful to visit, but last Sunday they returned for the first time to watch the unveiling of the memorial at a special service. Shyanuja was born in Sri Lanka but moved to the UK at a young age, where she lived with her parents and sister Sindhu, and the stained glass window is inspired by her motherland. It has been specially designed to capture Shyanuja’s spirit and shows a sun shining over the mountains and hills of her home country. Its inscription, “You are the beauty of the Lotus flower in the mud”, was taken from a poem written by her uncle. Mrs Parathasangary said: “the stained glass window is beautiful. “I cried a lot and my husband cried a lot but still it was something really nice.” Shyanuja worked as a postal worker at the Royal Mail and was travelling to work on the number 30 bus when a bomb was detonated on the top deck in Tavistock Square, killing 13 people. Her family didn’t learn of her fate immediately – at first thinking she was simply missing until they learned of the atrocity. Mrs Parathasangary added: “It’s still very painful. It’s unbelievable that such a thing could ever happen.” Cllr Ruth Bush has known the family for many years and is a member of the church. She remembered Shyanuja as an “outgoing and kind” girl who always smiled. She said: “Everybody would rather there was Shyanuja and not a memorial window because it’s very wrong we should have to be memorialising somebody who was killed in such a dreadful way. But since we are this is a fitting tribute to her.” |
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Myself and my daughter, Bethany who helped with the design were honoured to attend the unveiling ceremony and dedication of the Stained Glass Window at Fernhead Rd Methodist Church. We got the chance to meet and speak with Shyanuja's parents and were humbled by the experience. It was a real privilege to design and create such a meaningful window, which will act as a lasting tribute to a wonderful woman. Click here to see the news article. To see another Church Stained Glass project, click here. |