Survivors Create National COVID Memorial Wall in the UK

The National COVID Memorial Wall, London, UK
Credit: Kelly Foster, Wikipedia

A collection of bereaved families met in London in March 2021 to commemorate the loss of their loved ones to COVID-19. These grieving volunteers created a National COVID memorial wall along the South Bank of the River Thames. This artistic tribute spans a third of a mile and is comprised of red and pink hearts that were hand-painted by the family members of COVID-19 victims.

Three months later, 150,000 heart span the wall. Each painting is unique, just like those who were lost to the virus. Fran Hall, who lost her husband in 2020, painted the first heart and wrote “Steve” in the red center. She later remarked, “It felt like it was an important thing to do.”

Credit: COVID Bereaved Families for Justice

Though the bereaved group did not ask for permission to create the COVID memorial, the mayor of London and some parliamentarians have promised to help the organization make the wall a permanent shrine. There’s massive support for the paintings, but the hearts have had to contend with London’s famous rainy weather this spring. The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice have started a CrowdFunder to support their efforts and purchase more paint.

Many families have made a pilgrimage from all over the UK to lay flowers at the wall and add their loved one’s name to an empty heart. The collage is a beautiful place where families and friends may gather to remember those they have lost. Mourners may find some healing in writing their name and making sure their loved one is not forgotten. However, the sheer size of the memorial wall reminds viewers just how many people were killed by the virus and how tragic the loss has been for everyone.

The daily death toll for the UK has diminished to an average of three deaths; however, every new name needs to be added to the Wall. The memorial remains unfinished until COVID-19 is completely eradicated.