Hope Bell planned for victims and key workers
BELL FOUNDRY WOULD CAST THE SYMBOL OF
It is important to get the message out which is ‘don’t blow it now, keep on with the lockdown Mike Sandys
The challenges and pressures of caring for patients during the pandemic continue to be very real for NHS staff Andrew Furlong
Things will open up slowly. But it’s also no time for complacency and people need to remain vigilant Nick Rushton
Leicestershire County Council leader Nick Rushton said: “We’ve been working with partners to fight coronavirus together for over a year.
“I want to thank all those essential workers who have kept vital services running, the volunteers who’ve stepped up to help people and send my sympathies to families who have lost loved ones.
“With the vaccine roll out increasing, things will open up slowly – and that will be vital for the future economy.
“But it’s also no time for complacency and people need to remain vigilant.”
PLANS have been unveiled for a lasting memorial to those who have died during the coronavirus pandemic, which would serve as a symbol of hope in Loughborough.
Town leaders want to create a Hope Bell, which would be part of a £150,000 clock chime installation with four smaller bells, all made by Taylor’s Bell Foundry in the town.
Queen’s Park is earmarked as a possible location.
The Loughborough Town Deal board has put forward the proposal, as part of a bid for government funding.
Councillor Jonathan Morgan, cochairman of the town deal board and leader of Charnwood Borough Council, said: “The pandemic has had a devastating impact on our community and we want to create something that could act as a focal point for remembrance and reflection while also being a symbol of hope.
“We also want to create something that is uniquely connected to our area and Loughborough has been synonymous with bells for hundreds of years.”
The area where the bell sits would need landscaping, while messages left by families could be funded by public subscription, according to the plans.
Various options are being considered but the Hope Bell could weigh up to a tonne and it is not anticipated it would be installed until next year.
HOPE FOR TOWN
The bell has been added to the Lanes and Links project within the Town Deal bid, which was submitted to the Government in October.
Dr Nik Kotecha, co-chairman of the Town Deal Board, said: “Sadly, hundreds of people in the area have lost their lives to Covid-19 and it is right we come together as a community to find a way to remember those who have died.
“The Hope Bell would be a fitting way to do that.
“It would also be a way to honour the NHS and other key workers who have saved many other lives and kept the country going in one of its darkest times.”
Jane Hunt, MP for Loughborough, said the Hope Bell would be a “uniquely Loughborough way” of remembering the victims of coronavirus.
She said: “Many people in our area have lost lives. While remembering them, we would also commemorate the key workers in our community who have helped us through these most difficult of times.
“The Hope Bell will also stand in their honour.”