Covid flag lowered for Freedom Day
AMEMORIAL flag commemorating the battle against Covid-19 was lowered at the Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn to mark Freedom Day.
The flag had been flying for the past year to signify the area’s community battle against the pandemic.
John Lewis MBE, managing director of SOG Ltd, the park’s owner and operator, said the flag was lowered to mark the latest round of restrictions easing, albeit while the fight against Covid-19 continues.
He said ‘although the fizz has been taken out of the champagne’ it was still fitting to recognise the efforts made during the pandemic, and to mark the easing of the limits on daily life everyone has faced over the past 16 months.
The flag was hoisted last year by Christine Lincoln, former deputy head at The Heath School.
Christine won a competition to devise an appropriate slogan to underpin a symbolic rainbow memorial designed from coloured boulders outside the park’s Conference Centre.
Her winning slogan “Community is the pot of gold” also featured on the flag. Christine, who was joined for the occasion by her husband Mike, suggested a new slogan for the future as the nation moves forward: “Get it right and keep up the fight”.
SOG staff attended the flag lowering ceremony including Eileen Miller and Alison Albion who coordinate community activities at The Heath.
When the rainbow memorial was unveiled in July 2020, Mr Lewis said: “The rainbow has become a significant symbol of 2020 and, with so many sacrifices having been made during this dreadful pandemic, this seemed the most appropriate memorial to stand as a permanent reminder of these turbulent times.
“Christine’s slogan is particularly appropriate because it reflects the vital importance of community and also the hope that things will eventually get better.”