A memorial the shape of a willow tree was unveiled next to Sheffield City Hall on Thursday, built in honour of those who died over the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who attended paid emotional tributes to key workers and loved ones.
Leader of Sheffield City Council Terry Fox and the Lord Mayor were among those tying embroidered ribbons to the steel willow tree in its opening ceremony.
Lord Mayor Sioned-Mair Richards said: “Sheffield was remarkable. We’ve been badly bruised by losing so many of our relations and friends, but we have come through.”
Sabia Rehman, a Muslim chaplain and bereavement support worker, was one of the speakers at the ceremony. As part of her role, she helped family members say goodbye to loved ones in hospital over the phone.
She said: “I remember leaving that room and going off into the staff room. We cried and we cried, because what we felt for the families I cannot explain.”
Craig Allsop, 35, from Gleadless, was invited to be on the selection panel for the memorial’s design after losing his mother to COVID-19.
He said: “As many people will tell you who have suffered loss, the need to give back and help others can be overwhelming.
“I hope it will be seen as much more than a monument to lives lost, but also as hope for the future, and an appreciation for all those who kept the city and country moving.”
The memorial was designed by architect George King. Stainless steel branches twist together into a central trunk to symbolise the community’s strength, and the canopy forms a sheltered space for people to walk through and leave tributes.
Mr King said although time has passed since the height of the pandemic, there is still a need to reflect.
He said: “I think everyone’s instinct is to try and block it out, and pretend it never happened. I find myself doing that as well.
“There’s a lot of people who can’t move on from it, and that’s why it’s important that there’s a space like this; they can come to remember and to live through other people’s experiences through the messages on the ribbons.”
The statue’s unveiling coincided with the third anniversary of our first lockdown, and the National Day of Reflection. The remembrance day was advocated for by palliative care charity Marie Curie to encourage the nation to reflect on pandemic death.
The Lord Mayor dedicated her ribbon to the city’s key workers, while Coun Terry Fox tied his in memory of the late Labour councillor Pat Midgley, who died at the start of the pandemic.
He said: “It was really emotional. Seeing my words honouring Pat written out really hit me.”
“This is a wonderful sculpture, made of stainless steel, by a firm in Sheffield. What could be better than being here to reflect on how the city came together in those really hard times?”
The statue comes as part of the council’s wider strategy to memorialise the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, grants of £2000 were made available for community groups and local organisations to hold their own remembrance activities.
The council also partnered with Compassionate Sheffield and local social enterprise Opus to hold an exhibition showcasing how people across the city experienced the pandemic.
Mr King said the willow tree has space for around 300 embroidered ribbons to be tied to it and could accommodate other themes of remembrance in future.
