£100,000 more for our memorial campaign
THE Remember Me campaign for a Covid memorial at St Paul’s Cathedral has received another stunning boost thanks to a £100,000 donation from City grandee and philanthropist Lord Spencer and his wife.
Making the generous pledge, the trading tycoon said he and his wife Sarah felt a ‘national memorial to those we have lost is much needed’.
The former Tory treasurer said they were both ‘so glad’ to be able to contribute to the project, which is backed by the Mail and will honour Covid victims and ensure they are ‘never to be forgotten’. His gift takes the total raised for the memorial to a magnificent £1.6million – putting the campaign’s £2.3million target within striking distance. In less than a fortnight, more than a £1.1million has flooded in, with kind-hearted readers donating more than £272,000.
Last night, Lord Spencer, 65, said: ‘The death toll from Covid has touched our whole country.
‘For 130,000 people to die in Britain in this pandemic is a tragedy for each and every family which has been affected. It is always so important that we never forget those we have loved who died before their time due to this awful virus.’
He has donated hundreds of millions to charities throughout his career. He gave £250,000 to Mail Force – also supported by the Daily Mail – to supply PPE to NHS workers at the peak of the pandemic, as well as £1million through his family foundation to our appeal for the British Normandy Memorial.
His endorsement of our campaign follows major pledges from businessman Mohamed Mansour, Lord Sugar, entrepreneur Matt Moulding and philanthropists Sir Michael Hintze and Sir Tom Hunter.
More than 3,060 of the Mail’s special, limited-edition Remember Me candles have been sent out to supporters who donated £25 or more.
Together with the £440,000 already raised by the cathedral itself, the campaign total now stands at a stunning £1,612,500. It is hoped the remainder of the funds can be raised as soon as possible so work on the memorial can be completed in time for the second anniversary of the pandemic next March.
The poignant tribute will be the first major addition to St Paul’s Cathedral in 150 years and will include a magnificent new entrance with the words ‘Remember Me’ engraved in several languages.
A chapel inside will house screens showing a virtual book of remembrance bearing the names and pictures of those lost directly and indirectly to Covid.