Bronze memorial to care heroes lost to Covid-19
A TREE memorial to NHS and social care workers who died fighting Covid-19 will be installed near Parliament.
The 13ft bronze sculpture, by British artist Nicola Ravenscroft, will sit on a plinth bearing the names of all the victims.
Dean Russell, Conservative MP for Watford, who helped secure the backing of Health Secretary Matt Hancock for the project, said: “The principle of it is beautiful. The idea is that there will be sculpted catkins on the tree and, as the wind blows through them, it will make a loud hum so it will be like a living, breathing sculpture.
“We reached out to the Department of Health and Matt Hancock’s team.
“I wanted to make sure that it’s something that actually happened and not just calling for a memorial.
“The main thing was that we wanted to do something that paid tribute to our brave NHS and social workers because they have sacrificed so much and their lives to help the country and citizens.”
Mr Russell, a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, said it is hoped the sculpture will sit in St Thomas’ Hospital Gardens, just over the river from Westminster.
He said he agreed to become co-chairman of the memorial’s organising committee after Nic Careem, his friend and the project director, came to him with the idea.
Mr Russell, who volunteered at the Watford General Hospital for a few hours every week during lockdown, added: “We want it to be a fitting reminder both for the country and for parliamentarians of the sacrifice of those individuals.”
It will be unveiled next March to mark the first year anniversary of the pandemic hitting Britain.
The public can put names forward for the sculpture by visiting deanrussell.co.uk/nhssculpture