Grieving mum opens shop in son's memory

FURNITURE RECYCLING HAS BECOME THERAPEUTIC

- KATIE OBORN

A DEVON mother whose eight-month-old baby son died from a rare disease in 2020 has opened a new shop in his memory.

The business, Alex's Oak Tree, was born out of sadness but has since gone from strength to strength in Tavistock. 

Alex Parsons tragically died in April 2020 after being diagnosed with Kawasaki disease (mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome) at Plymouth's Derriford Hospital.

His heartbroken mum, Kathryn Rowlands, started to paint and restore furniture in the months after baby Alex passed away, as an outlet for her grief. This was during the time of the Covid pandemic when lockdowns meant staying at home.