Margaret Allan ties a small white card to a tree in Glasgow's Hidden Gardens with the words I remember missing my family so much.
It is her recollection of the pandemic and a single sentence which sums up how she felt at a moment in time.
She wrote her own personal I Remember during an open day at the gardens as part of The Herald's covid memorial campaign.
The project, which has recently been nominated for Campaign of the Year in both the Scottish and UK regional press awards, aims to create a memorial in the grounds of Pollok Country Park as a fitting tribute to those lost to covid and anyone affected by it.
Read more: Covid memorial: how you can remember
"I think it is really important what you are doing," said Mrs Allan. "It is important to remember as it has been such an overwhelming thing for people and they can now talk about what they have been through.
"My message was really the core of how I felt. I couldn't have family over to the house, my husband had been unwell and I couldn't go with him to the hospital and we couldn't hug or touch our own families."
Herald covid memorial campaign, I Remember open day at the Hidden Gardens, Glasgow. Pictured is Margaret Allan with her I Remember contribution. Photograph by Colin Mearns.
Our artist Alec Finlay who has been appointed to lead the research and engagement part of the project, has been reaching out to people through the idea of I Remember. As well as the open day a series of workshops are to be held involving community groups and health care staff.
Mr Finlay said: "It has been a very peaceful and moving day and I think people have been really connecting with the idea of I Remember. We have also been exploring the idea of supports and given the surroundings people have been drawn to the natural support from trees."
His colleague and writer Ken Cockburn said: "I Remember may seem very simple, but one lady said to me as she was writing one was just how tearful she felt."
Herald covid memorial campaign, I Remember open day at the Hidden Gardens, Glasgow. Pictured is Grace Browne with her I Remember contribution. Photograph by Colin Mearns.
Grace Browne, community programme manager for the Hidden Gardens, which hosted the open day, said she hoped the surroundings would help people to open up.
"It is a very peaceful place for people to come and visit and spend time here," said Mrs Browne. "We were happy to host the event and throughout the pandemic people have really appreciated being in greenspaces and have a connection to nature."
Located next to the Tramway theatre in Glasgow's south side, the gardens are an oasis of calm in a busy city. For Sandra Walls, 55, she found her own little hidden spot to leave her I Remember.
Herald covid memorial campaign, I Remember open day at the Hidden Gardens, Glasgow. Pictured is Sandra Walls with her I Remember contribution. Photograph by Colin Mearns.
"I focused on strength, serenity, energy and beauty and walking with the strong," said Mrs Walls. "It was important as this is how I now feel. When I look back 18 months ago, I began self-shielding in February 2020 as have daily treatment for blood cancer. My immune system is so low that I would be classed as high risk and it was a scary time. Coming out of it now I feel stronger."
Read more: I remember: How you can take part in reflecting through our national covid memorial campaign
Hidden Garden volunteer Margaret Carlyle, 80, was delighted to be able to return to the place she describes as her lifeline as restrictions eased.
Mrs Carlyle said: "My memories include going back to the very beginning last March and that dreadful feeling with the lockdown announcement, but then I also reflected on the earlier part of this year when we were able to begin to return to the garden."
Herald covid memorial campaign, I Remember open day at the Hidden Gardens, Glasgow. Pictured is Larry Butler with his I Remember contribution. Photograph by Colin Mearns.
Writer Larry Butler's I Remember is poignant. He lost a friend during the pandemic and his recollection was 'holding David's feet just before he exhaled his last breath.'
Mr Butler said: "Covid is not going awayand I think we need to learn from it now. I don't think it is too soon for us to be remembering as it is how we help to heal."
The Herald has raised more than £60,000 to create a memorial in Glasgow's Pollok Country Park to those lost to covid or affected by it. Glasgow City Council generously offered a site in the park as a location for the memorial.
To submit an I remember, email covidmemorial@theherald.co.uk.To donate to the campaign at gofundme.com/ herald-garden-of-remembrance. You can also send donations via post to The Herald Garden of Remembrance Campaign, Herald & Times, 125 Fullarton Drive, Glasgow, G32 8FG.
Send us in your 'I Remember...' submissions
You are invited to contribute your memories as an ‘I remember’ written text, whether you wish to remember a loved one who died, or contribute to a collective record of the pandemic. We have adopted ‘I remember’ as a shared form to create a national record of remembrance, recognising the cultural and political significance of the past year, and its ongoing repercussions.
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