The real-life story of the 'community activist' cast in bronze

If you walk through Nottingham's Green Heart park, you will see a bronze statue of two women clasping hands.

The Standing in this Place sculpture represents the stories of women working in factories and cotton mills in the Midlands and enslaved women in the cotton fields of the US and the Caribbean.

But what many passers-by will be unaware of is the real-life story of one of the models for the sculpture - Louise Garvey, a "community activist" who was just 16 when she arrived in England as part of the Windrush generation in 1957.

She was chosen for the project alongside Judy Robinson after they were said to have had a "beautiful connection" during dancing and activity workshops organised by sculptor Rachel Carter.

Louise died unexpectedly of a heart attack on 18 May at the age of 85 and the statue, which stands on part of the former Broadmarsh shopping centre, has since been described as "one of the most powerful examples of her legacy".

As a teenager, Louise travelled from her family home in East Portland, Jamaica, to England alone by boat to be with her mother Alice, who had settled in Preston, Lancashire, and was working as a nurse.

"Granny was the pathfinder - for want of a better description - and she'd been here for a number of years forging her way," said Steve Taylor, Louise's son.

"Back in those days it was always traditional for the girl to be sent to the UK as the first child of the family to then spend time with the mother."

Steve, 63, who now lives in Liverpool, said his mother would recount "how cold it was when she first got off the boat".

Louise went on to follow in her mother's footsteps by training as a nurse herself.

"She started off as a general practitioner and then moved into psychiatric nursing as a speciality," Steve said. "She enjoyed what she did."

Louise lived and worked in Preston for over 20 years, before moving to Nottingham in 1979 after her eldest daughter, Jean, died at the age 16 the previous year.

"Moving to Nottingham was pivotal, given the tragedy that she unfortunately suffered," said Steve.

"That was a major wrench for her. I think it completely unseated her and she wanted to ensure that the remainder of the family got the best start that we possibly could."

After moving to Nottingham, Louise and her three children Steve, Deian and Brian were supported by the community and, in turn, Steve said Louise "gave back" through various projects.

"Mum's always been socially conscious, she's always wanted to help, she wanted to support, I think that is the thing that I admire most about her, she always had the capacity to spend more time and give herself, despite whatever was going on around her," he added.

Louise's daughter Deian said her mother was a woman of faith, loyalty, and commitment.

"If you had her as a friend, you were blessed. Her generosity was expansive, her encouragement unwavering, and her kindness touched many lives," Deian added.

"She was a cheerleader to many and her faith sustained her through many of life's challenges.

"My mother understood that the abundant life is found not in possessions or status, but in trusting God's goodness, loving others generously, and walking faithfully with Him."

Louise served on the Association of Caribbean Families and Friends (ACFF) executive committee and was also involved with the National Black Nurses Association.

She published several books, including one that catalogued the experiences of black nurses in Nottingham, and a collection of poems and short stories of her experiences of village life in Jamaica.

Maxine Murray was working as a clerical assistant at the ACFF Education Centre in Nottinghamwhen she first met Louise there.

"What stood out most was her passion for people and for justice," she said.

"Louise was a longstanding community activist who cared deeply about black history, black achievement, and ensuring that black people were recognised for the enormous contributions they have made to British society.

"She never stopped fighting for visibility, fairness, and dignity for our community."

Maxine said wherever there was an important community event - Windrush celebrations, health awareness campaigns or discussions around social justice, or cultural programmes - "Louise was there".

Maxine said "one of the most powerful examples of her legacy" was Louise's involvement in the Standing in this Place sculpture.

After the statue was unveiled to the public in September 2022, Louise told the BBC: "Personally, I feel really honoured [to see the sculpture] and I've got a lot of pride."

The sculpture was later installed in the Green Heart in February 2025.

Merlita Bryan MBE, High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, said: "A lot of our younger generation would look at it and think 'oh my, I know this woman, I recognise her, she looks like me and it represents what I would like to be able to do in this country'.

"Louise is a very committed community person and she just immersed herself into the community to try to do the best she can for people."

Louise was also an active member of the Mansfield Road Baptist Church, which was where she married her late husband Hartsel Garvey - known affectionately by friends as Garvey.

The pair married in September 2001 before a wedding reception at Notts County's football ground.

Finding love later in life was one the "happiest times" of Louise's life, according to her son Steve.

"She absolutely adored Garvey, Garvey adored her, truly it was a proper love story," said Steve.

Garvey became unwell with Alzheimer's in later life and Louise cared for him before he moved into a care home for the last eight months of his life. He died in June 2022 aged 89.

Louise's friend, Ingrid Roberts Davis, from Nottingham, said that caring for Garvey was perhaps one of the reasons why she had worked regularly with elderly people in the community.

Ingrid said the pair became close friends after meeting at a community event in the early 1990s.

"She would go into elderly people's homes and do little workshops and projects in order to try and get them engaged," she added.

"There was very little of the projects in the community which she hadn't had a hand in or took part in.

"Everyone just draws to her, she was like a magnet."

Monika Tucker was 10 when she met Louise, who she described as being "like a second mum", at a family wedding in 1972.

Many years later, Louise became involved in a community project set up by Monika, called Grandma's House, which encourages conversations between schoolchildren and older members of the community.

"When I asked her to be part of Grandma's House she was really excited," Monika said.

"She was one of the ringleaders, she loved being with the young people."

Outside of her community work, Monika said Louise had a huge passion for gardening.

"If there is one thing that I can say that I loved about Louise, it was the way she tended to her garden, her garden was her pride and joy," Monika added.

"Every year she'd ring me up and she'd say 'right, it's time to pick' and I used to go down and pick the plums and the pears for her then I'd have to distribute them to people in the community."

Remembering Louise after her death, Monika said: "When people think about Louise, I want them to smile because she had such an infectious smile.

"Just remember her as a nice, fond, giving lady in our community of Nottingham."

Meanwhile, Louise's son, Steve, said he wanted his mum to be remembered for who she was.

"I am happy in the knowledge that anybody who met mum came away being happy and content," he added.

A celebration of Louise's life will be held at the Afro Caribbean National Artistic Centre at 18:30 BST on Wednesday.

Her funeral will take place at Mansfield Road Baptist Church at 09:45 the following day, before the service moves to Preston Cemetery.

Anyone wishing to pay their respects to Louise is welcome to attend.

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