Wales Dedicates New Woodlands As Memorials For People Lost To COVID-19

Three new woodlands in Wales will be planted as memorial sites to remember the people who died from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The forthcoming woodland sites—which include two at the National Trust’s Erddig estate in Wrexham, one at Brownhill in Carmarthenshire’s Tywi Valley, and another in southeast Wales—will be added as part of the National Forest of Wales in the future. 

As per the country’s First Minister, Mark Drakeford, these nature sanctuaries will act as a “living memorial to all those who died” and will represent “the strength the people of Wales have shown over the past two years.” 

According to the BBC, the pandemic has seen a total of 9,477 individuals pass away in Wales, with 79 just having happened within the previous week. 

Clare Pillman, Chief of Natural Resources Wales, revealed that the agency would hold discussions with the local communities and partners to create the memorial sites’ designs, allowing for them to become “safe and accessible spaces, where people of all ages can come to remember and reflect for years to come.” 

“Our ambition for this commemorative woodland is for it to become a living, growing area for all the community to enjoy, as well as a quiet space for contemplation as we continue to navigate this most challenging of times,” she added. 

[via BBC and the Welsh Government, cover image via Trevor Mayes | Dreamstime.com]