Thousands of people have turned out at memorial events across Britain to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hundreds of events were organised across the UK to remember those who died and pay tribute to the frontline health and social care workers who played crucial roles in the crisis which shut down the world at the beginning of 2020. In London the bereaved gathered to make a poignant walk along the National Covid Memorial Wall followed by a ceremony and a minute’s silence, with red roses being cast into the Thames.
The Mirror joined them on the emotional procession past the wall etched with 247,553 love hearts to the British victims of the pandemic. They passed around 3,000 photos of the faces of some of those who died, representing just over 1% of the total death toll in the UK.
A lone bagpiper played tunes from each country of the British Isles as the mourners slowly and tearfully made their way towards Lambeth Bridge for a moving ceremony of remembrance. The loudest cheer of the day came for widow Widow Lynn Jones who lost her super fit headteacher husband Gareth, 66, to Covid in March, 2021.
Fighting back the tears she made in impassioned plea about what the wall means to loved one who lost so much, she said: “For me, this wall is an expression of so many emotions – rage, love, grief, pain and unbearable sadness. It is also important as an expression of democracy, because this is what the people affected most by the pandemic feel.”
Looking over the river towards the Houses of Parliament, amidst huge applause, she said defiantly: “It is a message to those across the water that this is what happens when you get it wrong. It should stay as a constant reminder of the impact of government decisions. It’s a refuge for the bereaved.”
Lynn, a retired teacher herself, soon became a volunteer at what is now known as the National Covid Memorial Wall which sprung up thanks to a group of plucky volunteers who have fought tirelessly to care for and maintain it over the last five years. Created in 2021 it serves as a powerful visual representation of the UK’s catastrophic loss to Covid-19 and is now maintained by a small group of volunteers, known as ‘The Friends of the Wall’.
It stretches for 500 metres alongside the River Thames, directly opposite the Houses of Parliament. Many of the hearts on the Wall have been personalised with individual messages written either by the bereaved or by the volunteers who are there every week, maintaining this unique memorial.
The original hearts were drawn with art pens, which have faded with the London weather, so each heart on the entire Wall has been repainted with long-lasting masonry paint by the Friends of the Wall team. They continue to add new hearts for those who are still dying from the Covid-19 virus.
Lynn was able to be by her husband’s side when he died unlike many others who attended the memorial event in which there was a palpable sense of anger beneath the tears about the way loved ones were treated while Tories partied the night away. Amongst those who felt disgust at the way their family members were treated were three sisters who were not even allowed to touch their 80-year-old mother when she passed away in hospital.
Colette Woodall, 63, and her two sisters Julie Harvey, 65 and Jackie McEvoy, 61, from the West Country, were at the wall to represent their mum Joan Aspinall who died in the Royal University Hospital in Bath in 2021, An impassioned Colette told The Mirror: “She was a strong powerful woman who was a publican in Liverpool for many years and retired to Bath.
“She was 80 on the 30th July 2021 and she was dead five weeks later from Covid. We followed the rules because we are good honest Catholic girls but what happened with our mother just left us feeling absolutely betrayed by the Government completely.
“When you look at the comparison of how many civilians died in WWII, or 9/11 or even the Spanish Flu it feels like the staggering amount of people we lost during Covid is just being swept under the carpet. But we must never forget what happened, never.
“She was dancing on her birthday, she was fit and happy, doing her gardening but as soon as she got Covid that was it. She was left in a room where they kept the trolleys with all the rubbish.
“The staff were petrified and wouldn’t go anywhere near the Covid sufferers. She was left for hours and hours on her own. We were getting calls from her saying ‘I am in the room with the rubbish’ but there was nothing we could do, we could not get in to see her.
“In the end a kind nurse allowed two of us in to see her as long as we were gowned up, masks, everything and we just sat with her for a day until she passed. But nobody was allowed to touch her body, she was put in a bag, the undertakers were not allowed to touch her and she was a glamorous woman that loved her clothes and she was buried in that bag while people were having parties over in Parliament.”
Another mourner at the wall was Mary Combs, 70, from Lee-on-Solent, who lost her fit and healthy husband David Combs, 69, on January 24, 2021. “He was quite fit, he had three allotments, he only went into hospital because he had a problem with his gallbladder but he caught Covid then I caught it, I am lucky to be here alive myself. But his oxygen levels got so low they had to put him into a coma, they said he was getting better, they were going to send him home but he caught sepsis and within two days he was gone.
“We got up at 5am to be here today, I put some of my husband’s ashes in the Stadium of Light because he was a big Sunderland fan but other than that I am determined to keep his memory alive anyway I can. But that is so far away I have nowhere else to go to be close to him so coming to the wall makes me feel close to him because he is surrounded by so many people that went through what he did.”
Julie Wenham, 58, from Carshalton, lost her dad Thomas Wenham, 82, from London, in February 2021. She spoke of her enduring love for her father and how the wall was so important to so many people across Britain.
Sobbing gently as she recalled the pain of losing her beloved dad she said: “My dad did not go into hospital with Covid but he got it in there, he came home and just got worse and worse until he had to go back into hospital where they finally told us he has contracted Covid. He was in hospital for a maximum of two weeks and all we could manage was a couple of video calls. It was heartbreaking not being with him when he died.
“I cannot believe it is five years now, I have also lost my mum Elise since, which makes memorials like this so crucial it absolutely must stay here forever. I love coming here, I know its just a heart on the wall but it means everything to me.
“My dad was a meticulous timekeeper so I made sure his heart on the wall was in line with Big Ben because I knew he would love that. But I think the people who died are in danger of being forgotten which is why it is so amazing that the people behind this memorial wall do all the work they do.”
Elsewhere the fifth anniversary of the outbreak was remembered at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Sunday’s service including poetry, personal stories and music has been arranged by NHS Charities Together, a charitable organisation which supports the health service.
Among those attending were children’s author Michael Rosen, who spent 48 days in intensive care with Covid-19, and singers Lesley Garrett and Anthonia Edwards. Mr Rosen, who is best known for We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, has written a new poem reflecting on the impact of Covid and read it during the service.
He said it was a time to reflect and that he was thinking of those who were in hospital with him who did not survive. “We owe it to them and their families to remember them,” he said.
Organisers said they also wanted to reflect on the sacrifices made by people in the health service and volunteers. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “As we mark five years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, I know for many there is deep grief and loss that may never be relieved. Today, we come together to remember, reflect and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by people across our country.”
Ellie Orton OBE, chief executive of NHS Charities Together, said its research showed a fifth of people in the UK were still processing what happened to them during the pandemic. “With over half of the UK still grieving for someone they lost due to Covid-19, we know how much this moment to reflect is needed,” she said.
The annual day is one of the recommendations set out by the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration, whose chairwoman 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. It is an opportunity for communities to come together to reflect and commemorate their loved ones.”
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.” She said she hopes the day will “allow people the space and time to reflect” and added: “I would encourage everyone to take part in a way that feels right for them.”
