THE campaign to create Scotland’s Covid memorial has taken a step closer to reaching its fundraising target following a five-figure grant towards vital work in and around the peaceful location.
Almost two years on since The Herald first launched a public fund to create a memorial to those lost during the pandemic, we have now raised more than £189,000 towards the total cost of the near £240,000 project.
Work is already underway on the first phase of the memorial in the grounds of Pollok Country Park and the funds boost will now help our partners Glasgow City Council to carry out work which will enhance people’s experience of visiting the park and the Covid memorial.
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I remember: Scotland’s Covid memorial is a series of tree supports based on physical poses and will be linked throughout the park to form a memorial walk. Key locations, such as the Riverside Grove close to Pollok House, will provide an area for reflection and quiet contemplation. The memorial has been designed by our artist Alec Finlay.
The grant of £52,000 has been awarded to our council partners from Transport Scotland to carry out work around key areas which will link the memorial to the rest of the park.
National Covid Memorial at Riverside Grove in Pollok Country Park. Pictured is Billy Boyce looking at the I Remember tree supports created by artist Alec Finlay that have started to be erected. Photograph by Colin Mearns.
The grant will go towards the city council’s Active Travel Management plan for Pollok Country Park which attracts around two million visits each year, while still providing a quiet sanctuary for both visitors and wildlife.
The newly refurbished Burrell is nestled right in the middle. It’s reopening last month coincides with the implementation of the Active Travel Management Plan aimed at improving access to and around the park.
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The Active Travel Management Plan for Pollok Country Park aims to improve the experience of the park for everyone. This Plan has been implemented to improve access to and around the park through a range of measures such as improved public transport and pedestrian links, modified private car access and vehicular routes within the park, and enhanced connectivity to local areas.”
Read more: Work begins to create Scotland's Covid memorial on national reflection day
Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth said they were pleased to able to offer Glasgow Life an additional £52,000 from our Low Carbon Travel and Transport Challenge Fund to improve connectivity to the proposed memorial site at Pollok Country Park.
Ms Gilruth said: “As part of wider transformation work at Pollok Park funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Glasgow Life and Transport Scotland, totalling over £2.5 million – this additional investment from the ERDF will make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle to the areas of the park, including the proposed COVID-19 memorial location.
“It’s important that everyone can access the proposed site for quiet reflection and remembrance. This funding will ensure inclusivity and accessibility is at the heart of the approach.”
National Covid Memorial at Riverside Grove in Pollok Country Park. Pictured is Billy Boyce looking at the I Remember tree supports created by artist Alec Finlay that have started to be erected. Photograph by Colin Mearns.
The Transport Scotland grant is the latest in a series of high-profile offers of funds from across Scotland. We received more than £40,000 from the Scottish Government after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave the memorial her support.
As well as humbling donations from members of the public, we have also received funds from some of Scotland’s leading entrepreneurs and business leaders. Sir Tom Hunter donated £25,000 through The Hunter Foundation and Lord Willie Haughey also donated £25,000 through his City Charitable Trust.
Pictured next to the first of a series of tree supports at Pollok Country park, Glasgow are, from left - Connie McCready of Covid 19 Families Scotland, Keren Nairns, The Herald's Covid memorial artist Alec Finlay and Libby Milton from Marie Curie on the
Early on in the campaign we received a donation of £5000 from the Harry Clarke Group of Companies, based in Hillington, in memory of Glasgow trucker Jim Russell, who died from Covid early on in the pandemic. It was this donation which kickstarted the fund and led to Mr Russell’s fiancée Connie McCready becoming involved and she has continued to support the campaign.
We also received sums of £10,000 each from printing tycoon John Watson OBE, through his charitable Watson Foundation, and the Freemasons of Glasgow.
People pictured during a minute's silence for those lost to Covid at Riverside Grove in Pollok Country Park in Glasgow on the second anniversary of the first Covid lockdown. The Herald's covid memorial artist Alec Finlay has developed a concept which
Last year we commissioned artist Alec Finlay to create and design the memorial and he has worked closely with our commission partners Greenspace Scotland.
As we continue to fundraise to reach our target, work is already underway on the first phase of the memorial at the Riverside Grove. The supports will also feature the phrase I remember in several languages.
Over the past months artist and poet Mr Finlay has gathered memories of the pandemic through our I remember project – a single sentence which can capture feelings and recollections of the pandemic.
Read more: Listen here: I remember: Scotland's Covid Memorial moving audio
We received dozens of emotional passages which form a communal memory of the pandemic.
Last month I remembers were buried in a kist at the Riverside Grove in a poignant ceremony.
We also released moving audio of a collection of I remembers which was recorded by actor Robert Carlyle.
It is hoped the first phase of the memorial will be completed by late Spring this year.
You can donate here.
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