Parents of alienated children share Avenue of Light

Parents of alienated children, who weren’t allowed to see their children over the Christmas period, shared a tree in the Avenue of Light in Virginia Church of Ireland grounds.

The ‘Hearts of Love Christmas Tree’ as it’s called saw parents hang the names of more than 60 children on the branches.

Mary’s son “only gets to see his children once every two weeks” and as “nana” she feels she is missing out on so much of the lives of her grandchildren.

Mary, not her real name, says the children “rarely” get to spend much time with her son at Christmas.

When they do get access over Christmas, it’s often the case the children’s presents have to be left behind. “It’s just a very sad thing. There’s a lot of hate forced into the situation. These children are not born to hate,” says Mary.

She believes that the tree is a “powerful symbol”.

“I put those names up because their father is petrified it will be brought in family court and access is taken. That’s how fragile it is. I will show them when they are 18, I keep a journal and I want them to see the facts, that we do care, we did care and we tried a lot. Us and so many others. There is an epidemic there, one for which there is no antibiotic.”