Every Thursday at 8pm we all come out of our homes and clap for our Heroes who are working on the front line in the fight against Coronavirus. Sadly some of those amazing workers have died of the virus and I have been approached by a number of people who feel their ultimate sacrifice and this dreadful time for our country should be properly and permanently commemorated.
As MP for South Derbyshire, which neighbours the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) at Alrewas, I have decided to start a campaign to have a memorial created to acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice that those in the medical, healthcare professions and Key Workers have made for us by treating, caring and dying for those with Covid19 virus.
Having checked, there are several criteria for placing a memorial at the Arboretum and each application must demonstrate that those remembered by a memorial have suffered or made sacrifices for others. The NMA say “Whilst this criterion would mean we could not accept a memorial for those who have lost their lives to this terrible disease, it is our belief that the service and sacrifice of our NHS and our key workers could be recognised with a memorial within our grounds.”
NMA also say “We would therefore welcome an application from an association/ charitable body or government department with funds to create and maintain (in perpetuity) a memorial for this special cohort of people at the Arboretum.”
We are all supremely grateful for all the people who are taking care of us and continuing to work throughout this pandemic and it has made us all aware of what an important job everyone does. We have learned to appreciate our supermarket staff, our binmen and our bus drivers as well as our Doctors, our nurses, care home staff and the cleaning staff who work so hard to keep things germ free.
Every one of them deserves our gratitude . If you would like to show your support then please enter your contact details below:
