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.
