A COVID Memorial Garden has opened at Alexandra Park in Oldham to honour those who lost their lives to the pandemic.
The Mayor of Oldham Cllr Dr Zahid Chauhan officially opened the special area of reflection, also marking five years since the pandemic began.
The Memorial Garden, which boasts a memorial boulder and bench, was the idea of the Mayor as a permanent place to ‘sit and reflect’ in the Victorian grade two-listed park.
He said: “I’m honoured to officially open the Covid Memorial Garden in Alexandra Park.
“I was personally very keen to do something to honour those who lost their lives because of pandemic and those who worked tirelessly and made sacrifices.
“Covid showed us how fragile our life is. It also showed us how humans are resilient. We saw how communities came together and how we looked after vulnerable people.
“Unfortunately we lost people. We lost family members and we lost our neighbours, and history has documented that many of us didn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye.
“Some are still suffering because they couldn’t see their loved ones before leaving this world.
“Here at the Covid Memorial Garden here we can sit, reflect and think about how we can change the world and learn from our experiences, so please visit.”
The Memorial Garden was opened on the Covid-19 Day of Reflection, a national day to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives since the pandemic began and to honour the tireless work of health and social care staff, frontline workers and researchers, and the acts of kindness and sacrifices by volunteers.
During The Mayor’s role as Oldham’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, the GP and health campaigner oversaw the borough’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Chauhan, who received Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2019 for his charity work for those of no fixed address after founding the charity Homeless Friendly, ran the world’s first Covid vaccination clinic for people experiencing homelessness and he worked on the frontline throughout the pandemic.
He administered the first jabs for the homeless, vaccinating a couple who had been living in a tent in a disused building following eviction.
The Mayor said the official opening of the garden was also particularly poignant for him because some of his close friends had lost their lives to Covid.
“I’m reflecting and thinking about all those healthcare workers, including some of my very close friends, who fought for the survival of others,” he said.
“They did not care about their own personal wellbeing. They took the risk and some of them even lost their lives.
“I’m also mindful of those close family friends, my neighbours and elderly who lost their lives.”
People can view the Covid Memorial Garden by accessing the park from the car park near the bowling green and heading towards the conservatory.