Window of Thanks celebrates gratitude from Melksham people

A community art project full of hundreds of messages of gratitude has been created in the middle of Melksham. 

The Window of Thanks is a collection of 1488 squares from people in the Melksham area expressing gratitude for the good things in their lives. The colourful squares include names, community groups, quotes, messages of gratitude, embroidery, drawings and photos which are all compiled into an image of a heart that fills the window of The Hiding Place micropub in the High Street. 

The project is part of the ‘Melksham Loves Art’ initiative by Melksham Town Council, which was initiated by cllr Hayley Illman. She said, ‘This is the first of hopefully many inspiring and thought-provoking art pieces that will be cropping up throughout our town over the coming year, and hopefully longer!’

Miriam Zaccarelli, community development officer, co-ordinated the project with support from staff and councillors. She said, “It was an absolute privilege to work on such a lovely project. Seeing each of the squares as they arrived was incredibly heart-warming, and at a time when we can’t meet up, this window is a lovely way for hundreds of people to be connected together through their messages of shared appreciation. 

“It is so wonderful to see people stopping to look at the window, and we are especially grateful to Karen and Malcolm who have kindly allowed us to use The Hiding Place for the display.”

Karen Davis who co-owns The Hiding Place with her partner Malcolm Shipp said, “When asked, we thought about it for a nanosecond before agreeing. Whilst we are sad not being able to run our lovely bar at the moment, we always look to find positives to offset a negative situation and there aren’t many better prime locations than ours in Melksham”

The messages on the squares include thanks to the NHS and key workers, neighbours, volunteers, friends, family and pets, as well as sunshine, green spaces, the furlough scheme, technology and tea. People also expressed gratitude for things like ‘Having the courage to move on and try again,’ ‘feeling safe to cry’ and ‘for another year of my life.’

The project is intended as a source of inspiration and positivity at the start of the new year. As cllr Illman says, ‘The Window of Thanks has come at a time where so many of us are struggling with feelings of uncertainty and anxiety, and this piece puts into perspective just how much so many of us have, even if we have experienced painful losses of late. I’d like to thank all who participated in bringing this project to life, and hope that it puts a silver lining on the clouds many of us are carrying.’

To get involved in future art initiatives you can get in touch by calling the Town Hall on 704187 or emailing miriamzaccarelli@melksham-tc.gov.uk.