Woodland memorial to remember Covid victims
Midland Arboretum to mark sacrifice amid historic pandemic
ANEW woodland commemorating the victims, service and hardship during the Covid pandemic is to be created at the National Memorial Arboretum in the Midlands.
Tens of thousands of people across the country lost their lives after contracting Covid-19, while lockdowns brought in to control the spread of the virus changed everyday life for millions from March 2020.
Almost three years after the pandemic arrived in the UK, the National Memorial Arboretum is set to add a new remembrance space to its existing 150-acre visitor centre at Alrewas.
Bosses at the arboretum, near Lichfield, hope to dedicate more than 23 acres of unused land to the new Memorial Woodland which will include the reshaping of an existing pond, an amphitheatre, cafe, toilets, and a play area.
The proposals were first discussed by former prime minister Boris Johnson in July 2021.
There will also be meandering pathways following a ‘Water Avenue’ including interactive features to project the pandemic’s timeline.
This will include a ripple pool, water cascade lining both sides of the main avenue and a digital water curtain which will display images.
Plans have now been submitted by the arboretum to East Staffordshire Borough Council.
A statement submitted as part of the application said: “In response to huge public demand, the National Memorial Arboretum in partnership with the National Forest Company are proposing to create a new living memorial that recognises service
and sacrifice, and remembers everyone who has lost their life as a result of the pandemic.
“It will serve to commemorate lives lost but also to celebrate lives lived, remembering those who have served in years gone by and continuing to acknowledge those who serve now, and into the future.
“More than twice the number of civilians who were killed throughout the six years of the
Second World War have died as a direct result of Covid-19 in just a single year.
“The extent of other pandemic-related deaths caused by missed or delayed diagnoses, cancelled treatments, and other factors are known to be substantial yet it remains unquantified.
“The pandemic touched each and every one of us, from those who stayed home in circumstances they never dreamed of, to those who so freely and so
bravely gave their service and their lives to our nation.
“This new 25-acre living memorial will be a place for people to remember their loved ones, recognise the bravery and dedication shown by key workers and members of the NHS, and reflect on the impact that it has had on all our lives.”
The arboretum has a 150-acre visitor centre which provides a yearround national foucs of remembrance, paying tribute to fallen soldiers, the emergency services and anyone else that has served and sacrificed.
The site was gifted as an arboretum by Redland Aggregates, now Tarmac. There are 400 memorials sited among 25,000 trees.
More than twice the number of civilians who were killed in the Second World War have died as a direct result of Covid19 in just a single year.