Update : October 3rd 2006

Today the Cambridge Evening News ran an article regarding our plans for the Memorial project >>> http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2006/10/03/bf0475a2-9cdd-44e1-8716-0f28d05d025f.lpf which was received extremely well. CEN also ran an online poll asking for opinions on such a Memorial for Syd Barrett. Please vote Yes if you can spare the time.

I have also sent a new e-mail to Cambridge City Council requesting an update of my original request which was submitted to planning some time ago, plus I attached a fresh proposal to them outlining our intentions and plans for this project. Hopefully we will hear from them soon. I have also formed a Syd BArrett Memorial Project Commitee consisting of myself, Steve Bassett, Joanne Milne and Stephen Thompson. We may need further assistance and help from more Committee members at a later stage as this project progresses. I also do not want to start any serious fund-raising until we have secured a piece of Cambridgeshire land to put this Memorial onto.

I cannot thank Ian Barrett enough for his ongoing correspondence regarding this project and for putting me in touch with his family members Alan Barrett and Rosemary Breen.

Update : September 14th 2006

I have received a reply e-mail from Rosemary and Alan Barrett, stating their approval for our intentions as a Society to erect a Memorial Sculpture for their brother Roger. The following is a quote from the e-mail I recently received. They also state that they will leave this project in our capable hands, and therefore I have decided to contact The Cambridge Evening News in order to seek public reaction and also gauge general interest in this project. Could all Astral Piper Members living in the Cambridgeshire area please contact me on (mail address deleted) as we will now be forming an official Project Committee.

The following is a direct quote from the e-mail I received from the Barrett family...

Dear Dion,  

Rosemary and I thank you for your letter describing your plan for a memorial to Roger/Syd somewhere near Cambridge. We found the image of the proposed sculpture to be imaginative and striking. The family would not have any objection in principle to your proceeding with your plan. We would mention that park land is not abundant around Cambridge, so its character is carefully protected, and we have no idea whether the reaction of the relevant planning authorities will be favourable, but there is no harm in asking.  

Good luck with your plan. 

Best regards,

Alan Barrett

Update : July 27th 2006

This website was honoured today to receive contact from one of the members of Syd Barrett's family. This project is currently in Pause mode while we get the Barrett family approval or thoughts on this sculpture idea as we would like to tackle this the RIGHT way and ensure all funds go toward the Project via correct channels and that the Sculpture is completely approved by Roger Barrett's family. 

Update : July 15th 2006

This project is clearly still going ahead, especially with the sad News of Roger Barretts death. The memorial project now has more purpose and meaning than ever. We are still waiting to hear back from the Cambridge City Council about the planning stages. Worse case scenario, is we will get a monument erected upon private property but we are confident we can place it in Cambridge Parklands somewhere in the next 18 months or so. Stay tuned for more news on this matter here.

Syd Barrett Memorial Project

Just letting all you good people know that our now famous group, Astral Piper - THE NEW SYD BARRETT APPRECIATION SOCIETY, sets about to get things underway for a massive project set to position a new Syd Barrett Tribute Monument of sorts within Cambridgeshire Parklands. I will add to this page to update you all along the way of our group venture.

I have some rough plans for the Monument below, but welcome any interest, or Design ideas which any of you may have that could contribute to something rather special and timeless for Mr. Barrett.

I already have several good people who are Members of Astral Piper living in the Cambridgeshire area. I will approach this project through all the correct channels in order to get this project off the ground and hopefully make it a success. As with all projects like this, they are expensive, so we need to raise funds to tackle one of the Design ideas to immortalise Syd in the form of a sculpture, set to be enshrined onto a piece of Cambridge land somewhere, still to be secured and decided. 

I have started the ball rolling with getting some T-shirts printed at my own cost. I'm hoping as time ticks by, and we get more and more new members in our Astral Piper Society, that members will buy a T-Shirt to get involved with this. I will be using the profits to fund this new project, so it will be money well spent! And remember members, visiting this New Tribute Monument in Cambridge one day, we can all gaze upon it one by one and think, we all contributed towards that. It truly will be a timeless project for future generations to wonder upon and pay respect to the artist known as Syd Barrett and the Cambridge gentleman known as Roger Barrett.

Tribute CD - I have also received a few tribute songs from members in the USA and another in the UK, written about Syd. I thought if we got enough of you talented musicians out there to write a Syd Barrett tribute song, we could compile a 14 track CD, to sell for fund-raising on the project also. So send them in. This is a call to musicians who have shown a clear interest in Syd Barrett over the years, such as Robyn Hitchcock, Graham Coxon and/or perhaps Michael Stipe from REM to perhaps contact me if they are interested in recording a new track for the CD. Tribute songs I guess are preferred over cover versions. Also any other ideas are always welcome.

Below are a couple of rough Design ideas I have drafted for the Tribute Monument. They are by no means the final design, but offer a bit of an idea of what we can achieve. Obviously cost is a huge factor, and depending on how much we raise, will decide on the final design. I envisage this project taking at least 18 months, possibly longer, so we are here for the long haul all you good people, and hopefully we can all get this happening.

I welcome any input, so please e-mail me at: (mail address deleted)

(ABOVE) This is clearly the most expensive of the design ideas. It would stand 15 feet tall, be made of 4 curved metal legs, joined to a large metal disc, containing a smaller metal cut-template of Syd's face. So when we visit it and look up we see the sunlight streaming in though Syd's image. We would attach a small Brass plaque with a few words or quotes, and a mention of our new Appreciation Society. Some symbols having significance to Syd's music could be cut into the metal also. We need to sell a lot of T-Shirts and raise a lot of money for this sort of thing.

(ABOVE) Clearly if we get 18 months into the project, and have gained permission from the Barrett family and Cambridge Officials to erect a Memorial, but have limited funds, then maybe we can opt for a smaller less expensive design, like the one shown. It could perhaps be made from coloured metal discs (featuring Syd's famous turquoise and orange floorboard colours), with a smaller disc containing an image of Syd, with relevant text stamped into the metal for the memorial.

T-Shirts are NOW on sale. They are available in a variety of sizes, plus two different designs. One for the Syd appreciative ladies, and one for the gentlemen. I will keep you up to date with how the funds are going every few weeks. See the shirt designs and details of how to purchase and help this great project below...

These T-shirts are now available in a MENS and LADIES style in loads of different sizes.

Please check your exact size and let me know within a message upon payment. If you don't I will e-mail you back requesting SIZE.

You may buy direct with the PAYPAL link on this dedicated Astral T-shirt page >>> tshirt.htm

Any other fund-raising ideas, alternative designs for the sculpture, input for this Memorial project or enquiries, please e-mail me at (mail address deleted)

(This is an early version of the Syd memorial page, the 'final' version can be found here: Syd Memorial