You're at a place I wish I could be, Tor visitors hear

WALKERS who made it up to the peak of a sun-drenched Glastonbury Tor last week said they were profoundly moved after listening to the story of a woman, Charlotte, who is no longer able to experience the mystical quality and remarkable views from her favourite place because of her life-limiting illness.

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Charlotte was one of the many hundreds of people from around the UK living with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) or Long Covid who responded to Bristol artist Alison Larkman’s ‘I would be here if I could’ art project with poignant messages describing the special places which they can no longer visit.

As part of the project a special Mirrorbox sculpture is travelling to a selection of those places, inviting visitors to step inside and listen to or read a powerful message from someone for whom that location is especially meaningful, and to respond with a written postcard. The two-way mirrors evoke both the presence and absence of the message sender.

At Glastonbury Tor, visitors heard Charlotte share her memories of the iconic National Trust site, including the words: “Thinking back to a time where I was able to leave the house by myself seems unthinkable now, like a different lifetime in a parallel universe... I miss everything my memories of the Tor represents. Spending time with friends, with family, laughing with loved ones... You are somewhere very special, somewhere I long to be.”