Commemorative Art

Displayed around our hearing centre at Dorland House in London are photographs and artwork from across the UK, featuring images of memorial sites that commemorate those lost during the pandemic.

Displayed around our hearing centre at Dorland House in London is commemorative art from across the UK, featuring images of memorial sites that commemorate those lost during the pandemic, such as;

  • The National Covid Memorial Wall in England
  • Memory Stones of Love in Northern Ireland
  • Yellow Heart Memorial in Wales
  • Pollok Park in Scotland

When the Inquiry travelled to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for the M2A, B and C hearings, local commemorative art and memorial items were displayed in the reception areas, creating space for recognition and reflection.

Dorland House

Yellow Heart Memorial Bwlch Mountain, Rhondda Valley, Wales. We as a family originally started the heart of stones as something to remember our Mam/ Nanna, who we sadly lost to Covid. It was a much harder job than we first thought but after 8 long weeks dragging stones down the mountain in freezing cold and wet weather, it was finished. This grew much larger than we anticipated and after hearing all the stories of others who were in similar situations, we started asking for names of people who have lost their lives during the pandemic to be written on flags within the heart. We will always remember them, they will never be forgotten.
Yellow Heart Memorial Bwlch Mountain, Rhondda Valley, Wales We as a family originally started the heart of stones as something to remember our Mam/ Nanna, who we sadly lost to Covid. It was a much harder job than we first thought but after 8 long weeks dragging stones down the mountain in freezing cold and wet weather, it was finished. This grew much larger than we anticipated and after hearing all the stories of others who were in similar situations, we started asking for names of people who have lost their lives during the pandemic to be written on flags within the heart. We will always remember them, they will never be forgotten.
Memory Stones of Love at Belfast City Hall Belfast, Northern Ireland
Barnsley's Covid Memorial Barnsley, England The sculpture is a mark of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and honours those we've lost. It also pays tribute to our key workers, volunteers and local communities. It shows ordinary working people who are hugely under represented in sculptures across the world.
National Memorial Wall London, England
Birmingham Memorial Garden Birmingham, England
Willow Tree Covid Memorial Sheffield, England The Sheffield Covid Memorial is inspired by the beauty and strength of the Willow, a tree with a sculptural form and a rich cultural symbology for many different cultures. A symbol of resilience, it has a limber and supple structure which bends to accommodate strong winds and adverse weather. It is often referred to as the Weeping Willow due to the way that raindrops fall down its long leaves making it look like it is crying and for this reason is often found in graveyards in Asia as a symbol of grief but also of immortality and rebirth. In Celtic beliefs Willow trees were believed to be good luck and so people would knock on them to wake the spirits living within, from which we get the phrase ‘to knock on wood’.
Plaque on Barnsley's Covid Memorial Barnsley, England
Covid-19 Pillar at Milton Keynes Rose Milton Keynes, England
The Responsibilities we Juggle by Laura Butt Shattered Hearts by Rae Watson No More Black by Bethan Ash Tales of the Unexpected by Wendy Bliss England & Wales
Westminster Bridge 2022 London, England Covid19FamiliesUK marked the 2nd anniversary of the national day of reflection by decorating Westminster bridge in a blaze of yellow hearts and ribbons.
Ynys Hywel commemorative woodland Caerphilly, Wales

Scotland

The following commemorative art was displayed in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland during the Module 2A hearings between the 16th January and 1st February 2024.

I Remember: Scotland's Covid Memorial. Glasgow, Scotland
Scotland’s Covid Memorial Bench. Pollok Park, Glasgow
Broken Hearts Tapestry
World in Flowers - Kathleen Wilson - Scotland

View “For Those We Lost To Covid, And For Those They Left Behind” as a web page

Wales

The following photographs and commemorative art was displayed in the Mercure Cardiff North Hotel, Wales during the Module 2B hearings between 27 February and 14th March 2024.

Yellow Heart Memorial Bwlch Mountain, Rhondda Valley, Wales. We as a family originally started the heart of stones as something to remember our Mam/ Nanna, who we sadly lost to Covid. It was a much harder job than we first thought but after 8 long weeks dragging stones down the mountain in freezing cold and wet weather, it was finished. This grew much larger than we anticipated and after hearing all the stories of others who were in similar situations, we started asking for names of people who have lost their lives during the pandemic to be written on flags within the heart. We will always remember them, they will never be forgotten.
World in Flowers - Kathleen Wilson - Scotland

Northern Ireland

The following photographs and commemorative art was displayed in the Clayton Hotel, Belfast, Northern Ireland during the Module 2C hearings between 30th April and 16th May 2024.

The last 4 images “Memory Stones of Love” played a pivotal role in the National Day of Reflection initiated by Marie Curie in March 2021, a page on our website provides further details on this project.