A wishing tree is an old Chinese tradition that allows people to write their wishes on pieces of paper and then attach them to a tree. It was believed that certain trees contained spirits and that you could make a wish by touching those trees or walking round them three times forward and then three times backwards. In fact, this is how the lucky saying "touch wood" originated.
This was the inspiration behind the benches and I then worked with patients and staff at Stepping Hill to make the benches through workshops. Staff made the oak leaves which were then used to make moulds from which patients made a large number of clay leaves to be cast in aluminium.
