"It's absolutely huge that the government have now given their support for the wall to be made permanent. Up until then, every time we were painting on the wall we were actually committing criminal damage. We didn't have permission."
"It's just incredible we fought for it for so long because we don't want these quarter of a million deaths to be forgotten. I lost my husband to Covid in March 2020 and his heart is here, and to see him remembered here is very important."
The National Covid Memorial Wall is a half-mile stretch along the South Bank bearing about 240,000 red hearts. Volunteers known as Friends of the Wall have maintained the hearts for almost four years, repainting fading hearts and adding new ones. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will work with the volunteers to preserve the memorial and fund detailed feasibility studies by heritage experts. Culture minister Baroness Twycross emphasized honouring lives lost and remembering the sacrifice and courage of key workers. Lambeth Council will coordinate with Friends of the Wall, St Thomas' Hospital and other stakeholders to create a long-term preservation plan.
#national-covid-memorial-wall #heritage-preservation #volunteer-maintenance #government-funding #covid-19-bereavement
Read at www.bbc.com
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