The National Covid Memorial Wall, North Wing, Lambeth Palace Rd, London, England, UK, SE1 3FT
The National Covid Memorial Wall in London is a public mural painted by volunteers to commemorate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Started in March 2021 and stretching more than one-third mile (five hundred metres) along the South Bank of the River Thames, opposite the Palace of Westminster, the mural consists of approximately 150,000 red and pink hearts, intending to have one for each of the casualties of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom at the time of the mural's commencement. The intent was for each heart to be "individually hand-painted; utterly unique, just like the loved ones we’ve lost" The mural was organized by campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, with the help of the campaign group Led By Donkeys. Volunteers cleaned the wall and removed graffiti before hand-painting approximately 150,000 red hearts over 10 days from 29 March 2021. Bereaved families filled these hearts with names of lost loved ones and messages, with more continued to be added over the subsequent months. Through the project was started without council permission, it gained widespread support and public recognition so has not yet been removed by authorities. As the text faded, volunteers have also traced over writing with permanent black marker pen to ensure their longevity. The mural stretches more than one-third mile (five hundred metres) along the South Bank of the River Thames from Westminster Bridge to Lambeth Bridge, opposite the Palace of Westminster. Being outside of St Thomas' Hospital, it also encompasses an older plaque dedicated to the 1994-6 human BSE outbreak. On 29 March 2021, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer visited the mural, which he described as a "remarkable memorial", before calling on Boris Johnson to visit the mural personally and engage with the families of the deceased. Johnson later visited the wall for "quiet reflection" and was criticised by the co-founder of the group, who said that the visit, was a sham
Size: 5472px × 3648px
Location: North Wing, Lambeth Palace Rd, London, England, UK, SE1 3FT
Photo credit: © Tony Smith / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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