Canterbury Friends’ Covid memorial
‘We had hoped to find a way to remember such a significant time in just about everybody’s life; it sadly seems to be fading so quickly in our communal memory.'
Canterbury Friends commemorated the third anniversary of the Covid lockdown by garlanding a tree in their garden with hearts and yellow ribbons.
Local Friends and other local residents wrote personal messages on the ribbons about their memories of Covid. These were mostly about losses, but Canterbury Quaker Tim Landsman said: ‘There were a few thankful messages too.’
Rose John, another local Friend, said: ‘We had hoped to find a way to remember such a significant time in just about everybody’s life; it sadly seems to be fading so quickly in our communal memory. In the region of 220,000 people died in the UK and many more suffered and still do. Writing out these messages has led to some very moving conversations with people who have lost loved ones and who have appreciated another way to say goodbye.’
The gaily-decorated crab apple tree is in front of the Meeting house and is passed daily by thousands of tourists on their way to and from the cathedral. The waterproofed messages remained on the tree until the end of March. The commemoration was inspired by the Marie Curie charity.
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