
A reminder of why we are planting a Forest
The is a time of national humanitarian tragedy on an immense scale. Now is the time when we must begin to act collectively to support each other. It is the time for us all to give public support to the bereaved with national unity, and for us all to demonstrate compassion towards those whose lives have been impacted because of this pandemic. The Forest of Memories is being grown as a symbol of national support for all those impacted by Covid-19 and as a symbol of recovery to coincide with when it is opened next year when the pandemic will be over (as experts believe).
A tree for every life lost because of Covid-19
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A key principle in the Forest of Memories project is to ensure a tree is planted symbolically for every loved one lost. A symbol of support from our nation to show we care about those we lost and the bereaved who have suffered during the pandemic, and in a way that can be a lasting symbol of remembrance.
To us, that means a tree for every life lost because of an infection of Covid-19, but also the lives that have been lost because of lockdown impacts. We should also not forget those who died alone because friends and relatives could not be with them, they too deserve our collective compassion. These are all part of the human tragedy that the UK has endured and is a number much higher than the publicised ones for Covid-19 related deaths of 48,475 (and counting).
Source: Figures taken from Office of National Statistics data
We believe that all these people are equally tragic victims of this Pandemic, and they should all be remembered equally.
The Forest of Memories will plant a tree for each of these people, and we will also be supporting an International day in remembrance of all the loved ones lost because of Covid-19. We will be launching our support for that campaign this month.
How will dedicating a tree in the Forest of Memories work?
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To dedicate a tree to a loved one in the Forest of Memories is straight forward, just complete the form here. When we launch our planned ‘Memory-Trees’ service we plan to provide to everyone who has dedicated a tree the following (without any charge):
1. An online ‘Memory-Book’ account will be able to be created for each loved one lost. You will be able to add memories from family and friends of the loved one to capture shared memories that will never fade. We are planning to provide that ability to create these memories from pictures, words, videos, or even music.
2. The loved one’s name will be entered onto a memorial wall. There will be a Grove of Love and Loss in the Forest of Memories. This will be a forest garden of remembrance. In that Garden will be a Memorial Wall with the name of every loved one that has had a tree dedicated to them in the Forest of Memories.
3. A tree will be symbolically planted in the Forest of Memories for the loved one free of charge.
We are also working on a way we could a) give people specific trees with exact locations, and b) provide dedicated memorial plaques for these trees. There are however some issues on costs in giving these last two things free of charge that we still need to address. The exact details of how we could address them will be put to everyone who dedicates a tree to get their views. They are of course who the Forest of Memories is primarily for and (as we have done from the beginning of this project) we will be guided by the views of what the bereaved want to see in their Forest of Memories.
Spread the word
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If you have lost a loved one during the pandemic and would like to dedicate a tree to them in the Forest of Memories in the way we have outlined here, just complete a simple tree dedication form. But also, please do spread the word to others you so they too can dedicate a tree for their loved ones. We believe this will be a fitting way to remember loved ones, and at the same time help fight climate change and create UK biodiversity. We hope you think so too.
Contact us
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We hope that this blog post has been useful and informative. If however, you have any questions please do let us know by emailing info@theforestofmemories.com or completing our Contact Form.
Beautiful idea and a lovely memorial to my beautiful daughter Lisa who lost her life to Covid-19 on 23rd April.
Thank you
A wonderful idea I lost my husband Roy to covid 19 on the 23rd April 2020.