Tag: Covid-19 Day of Reflection

COVID-19 Day of Reflection to bring the nation together to remember the loss and sacrifices of pandemic

Six years on, communities across the country will come together to reflect on sacrifice and loss during the pandemic

  • Events, activities, and services are being held across the UK to commemorate the COVID-19 Day of Reflection
  • Ceremonies, concerts and walks are amongst events organised by communities across the UK to mark the sixth annual COVID-19 Day of Reflection. 

On Sunday 8 March, the nation will reflect and come together to remember those that lost their lives and to honour the tireless work and acts of kindness shown by many during the pandemic.

The COVID-19 Day of Reflection offers a chance to pay tribute to the work of health and social care staff, frontline workers, researchers and all those who volunteered a helping hand during the pandemic. The events also recognise that many are still feeling the impacts of the pandemic, for instance those with Long Covid or those who are immunocompromised.

Events, gatherings and commemorations are taking place across the country, including:

  • A day of quiet reflection at the National Covid Memorial Wall in London. The Friends of the Wall are hosting a short ceremony, which will include the placing of a wreath and the observation of minute’s silence at midday.
  • Royal Voluntary Service is arranging Time to Reflect tables within its services, where anyone is welcome to drop by for shared moments of reflection and to write personal messages or thanks to volunteers.
  • Caerphilly County Borough Council will host a COVID‑19 Day of Reflection event at the Ynys Hywel Covid Memorial Woodland, with an informal guided walk, a minute’s silence, and tea and coffee afterwards at Ynys Hywel Farm.
  • Memory Stones of Love are hosting a remembrance event at Belfast City Hall. The event will feature live music, poetry, as well as reflective speeches.
  • The Care Workers’ Charity has created and maintained an online Thank You Wall, giving people the opportunity to write a tribute or thank you to anyone working across social care including those in frontline care roles, managerial roles, administrative roles, maintenance roles, and more.
  • The Covid 19 Families Scotland gathered at the Sails Sculpture in Glasgow Green at 11.30 for a minute’s silence at midday yesterday (Saturday 7 March).
  • The Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN) is hosting a community-led event at the Manchester Monastery. It brings together Black community and faith leaders, healthcare professionals, Black-led organisations and local people through a memorial service, wellbeing and creative activities, storytelling, and reflection.

Culture Minister Baroness Twycross said: “Whenever I walk along the National Covid Memorial Wall, I’m struck by the 250,000 hand-painted hearts that stretch for half a kilometer. It is a powerful tribute to loved ones who will not be forgotten.

“The pandemic impacted everyone, up and down the country. It touched us all, and the impact of Covid remains. 

“We now have the opportunity to come together as a nation to remember the quarter of a million lives lost. We also pay tribute to those on the front line during the pandemic, who made enormous sacrifices, day in, day out, to keep the British public safe – whether in health and social care, education, policing, transport or other front-line services.

“I encourage everyone to mark this day in a way that feels right for them, whether attending a community event or taking a quiet moment of reflection at home.”

Chair of the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration, Baroness Morgan said: For so many across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic left a legacy of grief and loss that is still carried today. Everyone lost something. 

“This year’s COVID-19 Day of Reflection is an opportunity for us all to pause and remember the lives lost because of the pandemic, recognising the efforts and sacrifices of frontline workers, as well as the volunteering and community spirit we saw and the contribution of the scientific community.”

This follows the Government affirming its commitment to the COVID-19 Day of Reflection as part of a broader commemorative programme that was announced last year. 

The programme also included commitments to preserve the National Covid Memorial Wall, create new commemorative green spaces for reflection with NHS Charities Together and Forestry England, and launch a new fellowship programme focusing on natural hazards and resilience as part of the UK Research and Innovation Policy Fellowship programme.

As part of this programme, Covid Commemoration webpages have also been established, which include a series of oral histories, education materials and details on memorials across the UK. 

COVID-19: Day of Reflection

  • COVID-19 Day of Reflection today will be marked with local events in communities up and down the country
  • Members of the public invited to take part in the COVID-19 Day of Reflection in ways that are meaningful for them

Hundreds of events and spaces for reflection have been organised by communities to remember and commemorate those who lost their lives during the pandemic.

They will also be an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made, the impact on our daily lives, and pay tribute to the work of health and social care staff, frontline workers and researchers during what was an unprecedented time. 

Events, gatherings and commemorations are taking place across the country, including:

  • A procession along the National Covid Memorial Wall, followed by a ceremony and a minute’s silence, and flowers being cast from London’s Lambeth Bridge
  • NHS Charities Together will be holding an event at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which commemorates the thousands of people who tragically lost their lives since the pandemic began, and pay tribute to the critical role played by the NHS, its workforce and NHS charities in supporting patients and communities during the pandemic. 
  • Manchester Cathedral will host a special prayer service, honouring and reflecting upon the experiences felt by the Black, Caribbean and African community who faced unique challenges during the pandemic.
  • Local authorities are recognising the day across the country. In Liverpool St George’s Hall will become the city’s focal point for the Day’s activities and in Sheffield the City Council is partnering with a community-led, NHS-funded programme, Compassionate Sheffield, for commemoration, speeches and a showing of the Stories from the Pandemic documentary. 
  • In Scotland, Covid19 Families Scotland will be hosting an event outdoors at Glasgow Green which includes a piper, choir and minute’s silence.
  • In Treorchy, South Wales, the COVID-19 bereaved will gather and remember their loved ones and place named flags in a yellow heart made of local stones, which was created in 2021 on Bwlch Mountain. The yellow heart became a memorial to all those that died from COVID-19 in Wales and has been brought back to its former glory by the COVID-19 bereaved group this year.
  • In Belfast, Northern Ireland, Memory Stones of Love, who are a group set up by bereaved families during the pandemic, will be marking the day by holding a remembrance concert with music, poems and readings, as well as displaying their stones with inscriptions of those we lost during the pandemic.

Members of the public can find more information to help them to mark the day if they wish, including an interactive map that displays all the events taking place up and down the country, at gov.uk/day-of-reflection.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said: “The pandemic impacted us all in different ways, with many sadly losing loved ones and others making great sacrifices in their lives.

“This COVID-19 Day of Reflection will allow people the space and time to reflect and I would encourage everyone to take part in a way that feels right for them.”

Chair of the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration, Baroness Morgan of Cotes said: “It is right that, as a country, we take the time to remember the COVID-19 pandemic, to reflect on what happened, remember those whose lives were impacted in so many ways and honour those who tragically lost their lives.

“Today is an opportunity for communities to come together to reflect and commemorate their loved ones.”

The COVID-19 Day of Reflection is one of the ten recommendations set out by the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration.

The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations made by the Commission and a full response will be published in due course.

COVID-19 DAY OF REFLECTION:

Message of thanks from NHSGGC Chair

TODAY, Sunday 9th March at 12 noon, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) will join organisations across Scotland in a minute’s silence to remember those we lost and honour the commitment and sacrifice of all our health and social care staff throughout the COVID pandemic.

The silence is part of a national Day of Reflection to mark the fifth anniversary of the pandemic and, ahead of that event, NHSGGC’s Chair, Dr Lesley Thomson KC, reflects on what was an incredibly difficult time and shares a message of thanks and tribute to staff, patients and members of the public:

“On Sunday 9th March, the nation will come together to reflect on the pandemic – to pause and think back to a set of challenges few, if any, of us had ever experienced before.

“The fear and uncertainty, the pressure on our all services through increased demand and through the requirement for strict measures to keep us all safe.

“The loss of friends and loved ones. The sheer sadness that swept the entire country. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to all those who lost someone close to them. 

“Health and social care staff, ambulance crews, police, fire services, shop workers, other essential staff. Those who were furloughed and others who endured so much uncertainty about what the future would bring. Every one of us will remember just how tough those days were.

“But, across NHSGGC, we should also remember how everyone stepped up – how we rose to meet the tasks we faced.

“We supported each other, looked out for our colleagues and friends, and we cared for those who were struggling. Within weeks we had adopted new ways of working and we had embraced new technology – all in the pursuit of the best possible care for our patients.

“To those people, those thousands of staff who did so much for our patients, we would like to say thank you. Thank you for the long hours, for the time away from your families, for the courage it took to put on that PPE and head out for your shift.

“We would also like to pay tribute to our patients, and the public. For your forbearance and flexibility, your patience throughout difficult times. For the way you gathered every week in support of our staff. Your appreciation will never be forgotten.

“As time passed, the vaccine came and case numbers fell. Across the country, life began to adapt to a new semblance of normal.

“But the reality is we’re still dealing with the legacy of those difficult times. As is the case right across the country, NHSGGC’s services still face considerable challenges.

“Every day, every one of our staff is doing all they can to address those challenges and to make sure our patients get access to the best care we can provide.

“We would like to thank them all once more for that new commitment – whether they worked through the pandemic or have joined the NHSGGC family more recently.

“We would also like to thank our patients and members of the public for your ongoing support.

“But please be assured – we are turning a corner.

“The challenges of COVID forced us to adopt new ways of working. The use of digital technology and AI, the commitment to help more people more quickly through day surgeries and virtual care – all of these changes have brought with them a new set of opportunities to provide the care our patients need.

“However, while they bed in, we must ask something more from you – that you continue to work with us and to embrace new ways of accessing care.

“It may be a willingness to try a virtual appointment or a phone consultation, or maybe thinking twice before going to A&E and instead calling 111.

“COVID-19 has started us on a path from which there is no going back, and we need to embark on that journey side by side.

“Our commitment to your care will never waver – that is the constant you can always rely on. But just like you did back in 2020, as we all lived through those dark days, we ask you to trust us once more as we take this journey together – to a
new NHS, shaped by the pandemic but designed for the next century of healthcare.

“So on Sunday 9th March we invite you to join the nation in a moment’s reflection, to mark the loss and the sacrifice, to remember with pride the commitment, professionalism and teamwork – and to move forward together to a new future.”

NHS LOTHIAN:

On this National Day of Reflection, we take a moment to remember & honor those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re offering another chance to see our staff’s reflections on working through one of the most extraordinary chapters in recent history:

For more on how you can take part in the Day of Reflection, go to: COVID-19 Day of Reflection 2025

Sunday: Covid-19 Day of Reflection

Sunday 9 March 2025 is the Day of Reflection across the UK for the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is an opportunity to come together to remember those who lost their lives since the pandemic began and to honour the tireless work and acts of kindness shown during this unprecedented time. 

2025 marks five years since the pandemic began and we continue to honour and remember those affected. 

People and communities are invited to come together on the COVID-19 Day of Reflection, to mark the day in ways that feel meaningful to them. 

The UK Commission on Covid Commemoration was set up to find appropriate ways to remember those who lost their lives since the pandemic began, and to explore how we mark this period of our history.

The Commission held an in depth consultation with those most impacted by the pandemic, including representatives from bereaved family organisations. In September 2023 it published its final report, recommending an annual UK-wide day of reflection.

By continuing to hold a Day of Reflection, in line with previous years, we hope to offer communities across the country the opportunity to join together in commemoration of those who lost their lives.

On Sunday 9 March 2025, people are invited to:

  • remember and commemorate those who lost their lives since the pandemic began
  • reflect on the sacrifices made by many, and on the impact of the pandemic on us all
  • pay tribute to the work of health and social care staff, frontline workers and researchers
  • appreciate those who volunteered and showed acts of kindness during this unprecedented time