Make it an official day of comfort
I worry there will be a tide of emotion from people bereaved
ALISON STEADMAN ON TOLL FELT BY MOURNERS
Britain could shut for a day to “pause and remember”.
He said: “When this pandemic passes there’s a risk people will forget about it quickly but it should be remembered and those we lost should also be remembered.”
Presenter Paul O’Grady said: “Families saw loved ones get into an ambulance and, for many, that was the last time they saw them. There’s been no real closure for people, they’ve just been left dazed. A day like this would help ease the pain.”
Loose Women star Coleen Nolan said it was “important we recognise the sense of grief suffered by so many”. She said: “It would give them some comfort to know the rest of Britain stands in solidarity.”
Ex-EastEnder Debbie Arnold and former Corrie star Sherrie Hewson, who present YouTube hit The Wonderbirds, also back it.
Sherrie’s brother Brett Hutchinson died at the age of 71 in April from a brain tumour and she could not see him in his final hours.
She said: “I’ll always look back at 2020 as the most horrendous year of my life.
“There should be a big street party. The pain is hard but I’d like to remember him on a joyous occasion.”
The campaign also had the backing of major political parties. Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said: “Losing a loved one is always devastating, but losing someone without even being able to say goodbye must be unbearable.
“The Government should back a national day to reflect.”
Lib Dem leadership hopeful Layla Moran said people had “experienced devastating losses” and urged the Government to introduce the day.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: “We should include all those who have passed and remember close friends and family whose funerals we were not able to attend.”
Families are touched by the campaign. Jenny Wilson, 18, of Belfast, lost her mum Karen, 55, to throat cancer and her funeral was held on the first official day of lockdown. She said: “We’d no time to remember Mum and were left with a gaping hole of grief. I hope a national day will honour everyone who didn’t have the funeral they deserved.”
Marie Curie chief Matthew Reed added: “We are inviting communities, other charities, business, the Government and your readers to work with us in making this day a reality, and to help shape it. We need to grieve before we can find healing and move on, individually and collectively.”
■■Sign the petition at mariecurie.org.uk/ who/day-to-reflect
It is going to be a long, slow trek back to normal life. But as we make it, we must not forget those we have lost. That is why the Sunday Mirror is today throwing its weight behind the Marie Curie terminal illness charity’s campaign for a Day to Reflect.
The first will take place on March 23 next year on the anniversary of lockdown, but it is intended to be an annual event like Remembrance Sunday.
Yesterday, another 40 new deaths were reported from Covid-19, taking the official total to 45,273. And, sadly, there will be many more before this is over.
But those figures only tell part of the story. As Marie Curie ambassador and Gavin and Stacey star Alison Steadman tells us today, more than 200,000 people have died during lockdown from corona and other causes.
That adds up to more than a million close friends and relatives in mourning, who were unable to hold proper funerals to say final goodbyes.
A day to remember those who have been lost cannot replace that.
But as ceremony is important to the grieving process, it would go some way to easing ongoing pain and help safeguard mental wellbeing.
What it needs now to make the day truly memorable is official backing from Boris Johnson.
Politicians of all parties are supporting this campaign, as are a host of celebrities.
That is because it is impossible to think of any good reason to oppose it.
But only the Prime Minister can declare it an official day in the UK calendar, and we urge Mr Johnson not to delay.
The memory of lost loved ones must be kept alive. To comfort the bereaved they left behind.