Plans for memorial to virus victims

DERBYSHIRE County Council has revealed plans for a woodland memorial to honour more than 2,000 lives lost in the county during the coronavirus pandemic.

The council want the tribute to be a sustainable one, where people can walk around and remember loved ones long after the pandemic is over.

At the moment, Grassmoor Country Park, near Chesterfield, is being suggested as the most likely site for the commemorative woodland area.

The plans are still in the early stages, but local residents will be consulted on how to make the site “a place for remembrance, contemplation and healing”.

Councillor Barry Lewis, leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: “Derbyshire, and the whole world, has experienced an incredibly hard 12 months, the like of which none of us could have predicted and which we hope to never see again.

“We have lost more than 2,000 people in Derbyshire, people who were family, friends and colleagues and will be missed for many decades to come.

“We want to create a place where people can come to remember, to find some peace and healing in a natural and sustainable environment and to know that their loved one has not been forgotten.

“Over the coming months we will be talking to people across the county about the woodland and gathering their ideas so we can create a place that is truly meaningful and is owned by our communities.

“As we emerge from this lockdown, hopefully for the last time, it is important that whilst we look forward we also remember and hold those who meant so much to us in our hearts and that we create a place to visit and remember.”