A memorial garden to honour those who tragically lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic has been unveiled at Alexandra Park in Oldham. Launched by the Mayor of Oldham, Cllr Dr Zahid Chauhan, the memorial garden aims to offer an area where people can “sit and reflect” and remember those who lost their lives to Covid.
The memorial was unveiled in the Oldham park on Sunday 9th March, a poignant day as this marked five years since the pandemic began. The day also marks Covid-19 Day of Reflection – a national day to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the pandemic and to honour the work of health and social care staff, frontline workers and researchers, and the acts of kindness and sacrifices by volunteers.
A memorial boulder and bench now take pride of place in Victorian grade two-listed park for visitors to visit and reflect. People can view the Covid Memorial Garden by accessing the Oldham park from the car park near the bowling green and heading towards the conservatory.
The memorial was the idea of the Mayor, who oversaw the borough’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during his role as Oldham’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, and worked on the frontline throughout the pandemic. Dr Chauhan ran the world’s first Covid vaccination clinic for people experiencing homelessness, including vaccinating a couple who had been living in a tent in a disused building following eviction.
Cllr Dr Zahid Chauhan said: “Covid showed us how fragile our life is. It also showed us how humans are resilient. We saw how communities came together and how we looked after vulnerable people.
“Unfortunately we lost people. We lost family members and we lost our neighbours, and history has documented that many of us didn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye. Some are still suffering because they couldn’t see their loved ones before leaving this world.
“Here at the Covid Memorial Garden here we can sit, reflect and think about how we can change the world and learn from our experiences, so please do come and visit the Covid Memorial Garden.”
The mayor said the garden made him also reflect on health care workers “including some of my very close friends, who fought for the survival of others”. He added: “They did not care about their own personal wellbeing. They took the risk and some of them even lost their lives.”
The Covid Memorial Garden can be found at Alexandra Park, 5 Kings Rd, Oldham, OL8 2BH.