'Trees of Life ' service pays tribute to Covid-19 key workers
Representatives from the NHS, emergency services and other key workers joined hundreds of members of the public at Westminster Abbey for 'Trees of Life ', a special Service of Remembrance.
Organised by the National Memorial Arboretum and the National Forest Company, the service honoured the bravery and dedication of those who served the nation throughout the pandemic and remembered all those who died as a result of COVID-19 in the UK.
“During the pandemic, health workers were joined by armies of everyday heroes dedicated to serving our country; from food and service workers who kept us in groceries, power, and water; to scientists and technicians who developed vaccines; to the Armed Forces and volunteers who administered them, ” said Philippa Rawlinson, director of the National Memorial Arboretum.
“Their efforts meant the pandemic was bridled within months, not decades. We paid tribute to their unwavering service and remembered those who lost their lives during one of the deadliest pandemics in recorded history. ”
The Abbey was dressed with trees and saplings by renowned floral designer Shane Connolly. During the service, these trees were blessed by representatives from diverse Communities of Faith, preparing them for planting in a new glade at the National Memorial Arboretum in the National Forest.
The service was led by the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster Abbey and included a testimony delivered by Philippa Rawlinson, director of the National Memorial Arboretum, alongside readings from Baroness Morgan, chair of the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration and John Everitt, chief executive of the National Forest Company.
Several key worker representatives read prayers during the service; Ajay Bhatt, a customer service manager for Transport for London, Richard Webb-Stevens QAM, a paramedic serving with the London Ambulance Service Motorbike Response Unit, Becky Warren, an NHS nurse at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire and Armed Forces reservist for the Queen Alexandra 's Royal Army Nursing Corps (Rotove), and Rose Morgan BEM, a supermarket worker who conceived the idea for a nationwide campaign offering millions of free sunflower seeds to customers to inspire hope.
John Everitt, chief executive of the National Forest Company, said: “It is fitting to host this living memorial in the National Forest in the heart of the country. The trees blessed in this service will outlive us all, helping to honour the past, offer solace in the present and connect us to future generations. ”?