People are invited to join a public memorial event on the steps of the Council House in Nottingham to remember those who have lost their lives to Covid-19.

Hosted by Nottingham City Council, the event will include a minute’s silence and will bring together faith leaders and Civic guests, including the Lord Mayor and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

City Council Leader, Cllr David Mellen, will lead the event at 1pm on Saturday 2 April. He will be joined by representatives from the NHS, police, universities and community and voluntary groups.

The event follows a series of ‘living memorials’ to remember the people who have died from Covid in Nottingham since the start of the pandemic, which is now approaching 1,000 deaths.

A Covid Memorial Tree was planted at the Forest Recreation Ground – site of Covid vaccinations and testing – and Forget-me-not seeds were given to every primary school and made available free to the public from libraries to create an annual city-wide bloom. A Covid Memorial Garden is to be created in Bulwell Forest, while 1,000 trees will be planted across the city to represent those who have died.

Cllr Mellen said: “Covid-19 has taken an awful toll on our lives; we’ve sacrificed, followed rules and restrictions, and all done our best to stay safe from this terrible virus. I’m saddened that so many people have lost their lives in our city – to approach 1,000 deaths is a tragic milestone. I would like to invite people to join us when we gather for a memorial event on the steps of the Council House.

“It is important that we do everything we can to stop this death toll from rising any higher. Covid is still present in our city and in the wider country; we must continue to take steps to live safely with the virus.”