Newmarket has unveiled a new rainbow "Friendship Bench" on downtown Main Street to commemorate Gillian Barker, a York Pride organizer who passed away in 2020.
Barker's sister, Jacqui Moller Larsen, visiting from Copenhagen, and daughter Emily Fardad, and sons Elliot and Conor Fardad attended the unveiling ceremony for the memorial created in partnership with the Town of Newmarket and York Pride, which covered the cost of the bench.
Barker worked with York Pride for more than a decade, and served on its board of directors.
She loved and supported Newmarket's Main Street, which became a focus for York Pride when it moved its parade there in 2017.
A memorial plaque will be mounted on a pedestal beside the bench.
— With files from Joseph Quigley
