County Covid memorial park work set to begin

PLANS for a memorial to honour those who’ve lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic has been given the green light by Derbyshire County Council.

Under the proposal, a memorial park will be created on a meadow grassland site at the northern end of Grassmoor Country Park, just outside Chesterfield.

The site has been chosen with the support of the Friends of Grassmoor Country Park.

Councillor Barry Lewis, leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: “There are plans for a national memorial to remember those who have died during the pandemic and we welcome that proposal, but we also thought it appropriate to create a memorial accessible to the people of Derbyshire.

“This area of parkland will provide a beautiful space and a living memorial to the people of Derbyshire who died.

“It will also recognise the work of the NHS, frontline staff and key workers in support of Derbyshire’s communities during such a challenging time.

“Our aim is to provide a welcoming and tranquil space for residents from all over our county to visit, to walk, to sit quietly and to remember lost loved ones and friends for years to come.”

The memorial park will include a native wildflower meadow leading to an area planted with trees including wild cherry, rowan, Scots pine, hazel, birch, dogwood, oak, yew, wych elm and alder buckthorn.

A walkway to a memorial feature will also be included in the design which will be made accessible to all.

Work on the first phase of the park is due to get under way in the coming weeks and it is hoped, as the site grows, it will provide a living, growing space that will develop into an area for quiet reflection and remembrance.