Two years ago this very day, Britain entered its darkest period of uncertainty since the Second World War. To mark the start of the first Covid-19 lockdown and the pandemic which followed, people all over Britain will take part in what has been designated a National Day of Reflection in their own way.
And tonight, more than 2,000 will gather at St Paul’s Cathedral for a Remember Me concert tribute to the more than 186,000 who have so far died from (or with) the coronavirus.
There, they will also have a glimpse of the remarkable national memorial which is nearing completion thanks to the generosity of Daily Mail readers – and exclusively revealed here.
Visitors to St Paul’s will also have a glimpse of the remarkable national memorial which is nearing completion thanks to the generosity of Daily Mail readers
More than £2.3million was raised in a matter of weeks in last year’s Remember Me campaign to provide a multi-faceted memorial at one of the nation’s most iconic churches
More than £2.3million was raised in a matter of weeks in last year’s Remember Me campaign to provide a multi-faceted memorial, consisting of a solemn but stately commemorative space in the heart of the cathedral. This will include a permanent digital record of all those who lost their lives. Crucially, it honours those of all faiths and none from right across the United Kingdom and entry will be free to all.
For now, it remains a work in progress but this week I was able to see it approaching completion behind special hoardings.
A magnificent commemorative portico – an entrance hall – made of finest English oak is taking shape as a gateway to this special remembrance space in the North Transept.
There, everyone can pay their respects, light a candle or bring up the details of a loved one on the special screens which will display the ever-growing online Book of Remembrance. More than 11,000 names have already been entered (completely free of charge) on the Remember Me database and more are being added all the time.
‘Just look what Mail readers have achieved,’ says a delighted Oliver Caroe, the cathedral’s Surveyor to the Fabric and the designer of the memorial space.
‘No one thought that a memorial could be funded and created on this sort of timescale but it is happening and will make a real difference to so many people at a time of great pain and suffering.’
He knows only too well what that means for he lost his own mother, Mary, a former GP, in the early stages of the pandemic.
Tonight’s concert will honour the tens of thousands like Mary and the families who will never completely ‘get over’ this pandemic. For many, it will serve as the memorial service which they were never able to organise themselves. Little wonder tickets (which were free) vanished in under four hours.
St Paul’s will also stream the evening online. The audience will be treated to performances by the London Symphony Chorus and the Ballet Rambert along with a special work by the composer Howard Goodall and poems by the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage. The congregation will also hear from the driving force behind the entire project, the philanthropist, Sir Lloyd Dorfman.
Among those heading to London for tonight’s event is tax accountant Eloise Brien who lost her father, Kim, at the start of the pandemic. ‘He was only 60 and had no underlying causes but the last time I saw him was when he was being put in an ambulance. He ended up on a ventilator and never regained consciousness,’ Eloise tells me.
Architect Oliver Caroe with Robert Hardman viewing the Remember Me Covid Memorial under construction at St Paul’s Cathedral
‘This has been such a hard time for everyone, including his Dad – my grandfather – who lost his only son. I love the fact that this memorial is in St Paul’s – a place he loved. The fact that we will be there to honour him on the night means so much.’
It will be an equally emotional evening for Hannah Gompertz, a trainee paramedic and organiser of the Yellow Hearts campaign. She is travelling to St Paul’s from Plymouth to honour her grandmother, Sheila, a biochemist, who died aged 83.
‘It’s going to be a very sad day for so many people who still feel that they are struggling to get out of a rut,’ she says. ‘This has been a massive national disaster which cannot be forgotten.
‘So we want to say a big thank you to all those Mail readers. That other people have remembered our loved ones and are aware of them is so important.’
