A memorial event to mark the second annual day of reflection to remember those who have lost their lives to Covid since the pandemic began is due to take place on Sunday 9 March.
The event will take place in Balm Green Gardens at the permanent Covid memorial willow and is an opportunity to come together to remember them and to honour the tireless work and acts of kindness shown during this unprecedented time.
At 12 noon speeches will be led by Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council and speakers stories to remember those lost to Covid.
Speakers at the memorial event include local community figures and a recording will be played of someone who is living with long Covid. Everyone is welcome to attend and hear them share their experiences, talk about some of lasting impacts of the pandemic and invite those gathered to reflect.
A free creative workshop will run from 10.00 am until 2.00 pm and will provide a reflective space and an opportunity for those in attendance to express their tributes through a facilitated creative activity. Members of the public are invited to join local artists for this drop-in activity, decorating wooden leaves to hang from the willow tree memorial, which was made in Sheffield and designed by George King of George King Architects.
At 2.30pm there will be a screening of the ‘Stories from the Pandemic’ documentary film at The Showroom Cinema which features a collection of stories gathered from citizens across Sheffield over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. After the film, attendees will be invited to join an optional facilitated reflective discussion in the cinema’s café and bar. Tickets are free and can be booked online via the Showroom Cinema.
“This is the second year that we will come together to remember everyone who we have lost since the pandemic began five years ago. We will reflect on the impact of the pandemic on all of us, and we will remember and honour the commitment, kindness and dedication of those who saved lives and looked after people during this incredibly difficult period.
"The permanent willow tree memorial is a place where anyone can come and reflect. We invite everyone to join us in Balm Green Gardens to remember family members, friends and colleagues.
“We acknowledge that Covid has had a disproportionate effect on some people in our society more than others. We re-iterate our commitment to reflect their voices and reduce inequalities in our city. Our Fair Healthy Sheffield plan sets out our work to close the unfair gaps in length and quality of life by improving the health and wellbeing of those who are worst off.”
Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council
Summary Schedule
10am to 2pm:
Creative workshop Covid Memorial willow tree, Balm Green Gardens, S1 2HF
Drop-in session decorating wooden leaves with tributes (Free).
12 noon to 1pm: Memorial & minute’s silence
Covid Memorial willow tree, Balm Green Gardens, S1 2HF
Speeches and reflections from Sheffield citizens. Led by Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council.
2.30pm - 5.30pm: Stories from the pandemic
The Showroom Cinema, Paternoster Row, S1 2BX
Screening of documentary film (63 mins) followed by an optional facilitated reflective discussion (Free, booking essential).
(Book free tickets online via Showroom Cinema)
This annual day of reflection has been co-ordinated by Compassionate Sheffield and Sheffield City Council and OPUS Productions, the film producers of Sheffield’s ‘Stories from the Pandemic’.
More information is at Sheffield Stories for the Pandemic and here is the SFTP - Film Trailer 2025 on Vimeo
The Government’s Covid annual day of reflection announcement from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides more detail.
Sheffield's Covid memorial project 2023
- The ‘Stories from the Pandemic’ (SFTP) documentary features a wide range of stories for Sheffield residents about their experiences of the pandemic. Fragments of these stories were then inscribed into the memorial sculpture and incorporated into the design.
- The unique, award-winning memorial, commissioned by Sheffield City Council and designed by George King of George King Architects is a meaningful, long-lasting, and creative tribute to those who have lost their lives, those who have worked above and beyond to keep people as safe as possible and those who have been affected by Covid. Everyone has a story about Covid from the height of the pandemic.
- George King said when he was designed the willow tree that when he thought about Covid and how the pandemic affected so many people, the willow tree idea was powerful to him and his team, saying: “A willow has a strong trunk which symbolises how people worked together to create the strength that was needed at such a difficult time. It is also a flexible and resilient tree, whilst also being delicate. When a storm hits, the tree bends with it. Its long branches sweep all the way to the ground and when it rains the droplets fall all the way down the branches like tears to the ground. When you stand underneath a willow tree you feel embraced and protected. It’s a very special, significant piece of art, made in Sheffield for the people of Sheffield.”
- Made in Sheffield out of stainless steel, the sculpture was made by Steel Line Limited, who brought George’s drawings to life and created the 4 metres by 4 metres memorial artwork over several weeks to ensure that it would be in place by 23rd March 2023, three years to the day that the first lockdown was announced.
- The memorial is constructed using stainless steel to reflect the city’s heritage. Its design allows people to connect with it either by reading the messages it holds or by attaching temporary messages or ribbons.
- Sitting within the planted garden, the sculpture is accessible to everyone and provides a focal point to the space for people to pay their respects, place tributes and memories and be a symbol that people from all cultures can understand and relate to.