A memorial garden to honour the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic is set to be created in Barrow, it has been announced.
The project remains in the early stages – but Barrow Park has been earmarked as the probable location for the scheme.
It is to be a joint project between the borough council and Cumbria County Council.
Ann Thomson, leader of Barrow Borough Council, said: “I think it will probably be in a nice corner of the park and we’ll plant some new trees and put in a couple of benches and things.
“We thought it would be a good idea. We haven’t got to the finer details yet.”
Cllr Thomson said the borough council wanted to set aside a quiet space where people could go to reflect.
As of January 3, 189 people had died in the borough of Barrow within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus.
The total number of people in the borough who had tested positive for coronavirus up to this date was 15,443.
Last year, a bench and signpost were erected in Bowness to serve as a tribute to those who had lost their lives during the pandemic.
Bowness resident Naz Craig raised £1,000 to bring the project to fruition, with the memorial being positioned just behind the bandstand along the Glebe.
And a Furness General Hospital worker had written to Barrow and Furness MP Simon Fell earlier in the year as part of her campaign to bring about a yearly COVID memorial day.
Gemma Humes said at the time: “I felt really sorry for loved ones who were really ill and couldn’t have visitors. I thought, ‘if that was me, I’d want to be with my family’.
“I only saw a very small impact the pandemic was having on the hospital. But it was quite traumatic.
“We’ve lost people. Not just NHS staff but other key workers have lost their lives trying to save people, and it would be a nice way to show our appreciation.
“We can remember it every year so future generations can say ‘this is part of our history’.”
