THE impact of the Covid pandemic will be in focus at a memorial event marking the fifth anniversary of the first UK lockdown.
The National Memorial Arboretum will invite people to lay a floral tribute at the Trees of Life Glade on 9th March.
The Covid-19 Day of Reflection will see visitors able to select a single fresh flower and place it in the glade, which was designed as a living tribute to those who died as a result of the pandemic and those who served the country during it.
Philippa Rawlinson, director of the National Memorial Arboretum, said:
“On the Covid-19 Day of Reflection, we invite all our visitors to join the nation in reflecting on the sacrifices made by health workers, key workers, scientists, communities and volunteers up and down the country during that unprecedented time, and by remembering those who lost loved ones during the pandemic.
“For many, it will have been extremely hard to move on from the devastation and loss caused by the disease.
“We created the Trees of Life Glade in response to a deluge of requests for us to offer somewhere permanent to commemorate the incredible service and sacrifice of key workers during the pandemic, but also somewhere people could go at any time to remember those who had tragically lost their lives and to help support the process of healing.”
The arboretum will also host moments of reflection at 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm, including a reading of the poem Blessed Alder by Dan Simpson.