In May 2022, Artichoke will present Sanctuary, a unique public memorial to commemorate the nation’s loss during Covid. Situated in Bedworth’s Miners’ Welfare Park, the temporary structure will be open for people to leave messages and mementos, providing a space for the community to unite in memory.

The intricately carved wooden structure will be created by the Burning Man artist David Best in collaboration with members of the local community.

At the end of the project, the structure will be ceremonially set alight, the burn acting as a symbol of letting go, renewed hope and rebirth.

Work begins at the Miners’ Welfare Park in Bedworth on the Sanctuary build on 27 April. The full build team will be on site from the 5 – 20 May and Sanctuary will open on Saturday 21 May.

• Sanctuary is to open visitors from Saturday 21– Friday 27 May, 12:00-20:00 and Saturday 28 May, 10:00-13:30
• Sanctuary will be set alight at sunset, approximately 21:00, on the evening of Saturday 28 May. Doors will open at 20:00.
• The site will not be open from 14:00 on Saturday 28 May. It will re-open at 18:00 for the burn. 

• The burn is a ticketed event to ensure audience safety. Tickets are not required to attend on any other day.
• Thousands of people are likely to attend the Sanctuary burn on Saturday 28 May. We want everyone to feel safe, enjoy their evening and have an experience that will last in the memory forever.
• Tickets for the burn are now available. Book your free tickets here.
• Anyone unable to book a ticket online can call the Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council Customer Services on 024 7637 6376 to book up to six tickets, which can be collected in person from Nuneaton Town Hall or the Bedworth Leisure Centre in Miners’ Welfare Park.

The park will re-open on Saturday 28 May from 18:00, provided all safety checks have taken place.

Doors will open at 20:00.

• We strongly encourage visitors to Sanctuary to arrive on foot, by bicycle or public transport.
• There is no parking on-site or in the vicinity. If coming by car is unavoidable, please note that parking is extremely limited, there is likely to be considerable congestion around Bedworth town centre at peak times throughout the event, and car users are likely to be subject to significant delays.
• Entrance to the site is via the Coventry Road entrance. Find Sanctuary via what3words: ///bumpy.poppy.staple
• We are now at full capacity for accessible parking in the Miners’ Welfare Car Park for the night of the burn (28 May).

  If you have any access queries, please email access@artichoke.uk.com

More information about getting to Sanctuary by bike, train or bus.

There will be an accessible route to the artwork and provision for wheelchair users. A number of Blue Badge holder only car parking spaces will be made available. We are now at full capacity for accessible parking in the Miners’ Welfare Car Park for the night of the burn (28 May).

Please contact access@artichoke.uk.com about your needs.

Sanctuary is being created in collaboration with the local community of North Warwickshire and there is still time to apply to get involved. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of something amazing. To apply to be a build apprentice working on site, or to be a volunteer as one of our Sanctuary Guardians, who will help assist and orientate visitors, click here or get in touch with Maeve McDonnell:

You may bring photographs and mementos of loved ones, such as photographs, cards and letters to leave inside the structure to be ceremonially burned in an act of remembrance. You may also write messages on the structure itself. Please be responsible about the items that you bring and do not leave anything made of materials that may be toxic when burned, such as plastic as these will be removed.

Sanctuary is outside and open to the elements. Make sure that you are dressed appropriately for the weather.

There will be stewards on site at all times. There will also be Sanctuary Guardians, volunteers dedicated to preserving the safety and experience of visitors.

Yes. We intend this to be a family-friendly event.

Dogs on a lead are welcome to visit Sanctuary whilst it’s open to the public from 10:00 on Saturday 21 May to 13:30 on Saturday 28 May.

On the night of the burn there will be hundreds of people so please think about if it will be a suitable environment for your pet.

There is an extensive Learning & Participation programme running alongside the project which includes paid training opportunities for local people, volunteering opportunities and work with schools and community groups.

Click here to find out more.

Sanctuary is produced by Artichoke, in association with Imagineer supported by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, Here for Culture and Royal Shakespeare Company.

We are also consulting and working with numerous community and neighbourhood, youth and youth support, employment, arts and volunteer organisations in the area.

Sanctuary artist David Best is known for his soaring temples built by the community at Burning Man in the Nevada Desert, which are burned to the ground at the end of the festival. Fire at Burning Man represents the spirit of community. The burning of these structures symbolise renewal and looking forward not back. Sanctuary in Bedworth is created with the same purpose.

Sanctuary and producers at Artichoke are committed to being as environmentally sustainable as possible and to contributing to the UN’s sustainability goals for People, Planet and Prosperity through working with the local community.

We recognise that in the face of climate change emergency, every step must be taken to reduce emissions to as close as possible to net zero, and that appropriate mitigations are taken including using FSC certified wood, working with responsible contractors in relation to their environmental sustainability practices, and encouraging visitors to use public transport to reach the event.

Where we are not able to reduce the impact of the event, we are working with Environmental consultants, A Greener Festival, to undertake a carbon impact assessment for the project to monitor and ensure the build and event can be classified as carbon net zero.

This will include calculating all C02e tonnes produced across the event and seeking to reduce and mitigate emissions as far as possible including through carbon renewal biodiversity actions such as tree-planting and donation to Act on Energy to support funding for homes that need insulation.

Our environmental policy aims to have a long-lasting and positive impact for the local community.

• All of our wood is FSC certified, purchased, cut and built locally
• Our build and site is powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil (100% greenhouse gas savings, info sheet attached) and a rechargeable battery
• Our crew food is vegetarian provided by Bedworth community café, The Mayors Café using ingredients grown from Bedworth Community Gardens
• There is no single use plastic on site – we have borrowed tea cups from the Bedworth Ex-Servicemens Social Club, provided our crew with reusable tupperware for lunches and stainless steel cups for water
• Our woodchip has been donated by the Forestry department of Warwickshire County Council
• Our signage (provided by Nuneaton Signs) is 100% PVC free and fully recyclable
• Any spare wood will be donated to social enterprise Jericho, supporting people who have experienced homelessness, modern slavery and addiction
• We are encouraging any visitors to walk, cycle or take public transport
• Environmentally aware and responsible contractors
• Ash from the burn will be donated for use on local allotments.

Sanctuary is situated on top of a mound at the Miners Welfare Park. It is an outdoor park without covering and the terrain will be uneven.

Wheelchair users can use the concrete path to access the structure. The path follows the perimeter of the park and has an 8% gradient to get to the top. There will be volunteers onsite who can help if you require assistance.

During the burn on the 28 May, you can view the sculpture from below the mound.

There are two accessible viewing areas. Please look out for the signs.

• Miners Welfare Play Park, close to the skatepark
• At the bottom of the Sanctuary structure, accessed via the path

The distance from Bedworth train station to the Bedworth Leisure Centre is a 10-minute walk.

The distance from Bedworth Leisure Centre to the Sanctuary site is a 5-minute walk up hill.

During the week Sanctuary is open to the public (21 – 27 May) there is accessible parking available at Miners Welfare Car Park near to the Leisure Centre. This is general parking and is not managed by Artichoke.

On the night of the burn  only (28 May) accessible parking will need to be pre-booked through Artichoke.

If you are a Blue Badge holder, please email access@artichoke.uk.com to obtain an accessible parking permit for the Miners Welfare Car Park. Please be aware we have limited spaces available.

We are providing accessible toilets on the night of the burn only. The toilets will be located towards the bottom of the mound close to the artwork.

We are providing accessible tours of Sanctuary on the 26 and 27 May.

To book your place on a free access tour, please complete our online form.

A member of the Participation team will be in contact to confirm your place.

If you are unable to fill out the online form or have any queries, please contact us at participation@artichoke.uk.com.