Pandemic memorial installed at city cemetery

A sculpture to remember the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic has been installed at a cemetery in Derby.

The bench, at Nottingham Road Cemetery, was designed and made by artist Richard Janes.

He said the wing design was a modern take on gothic gravestones and the Victorian angel sculptures found elsewhere at the cemetery.

Mr Janes, who spent three months on the artwork, described working on the project as "humbling".

"I've been talking to people who lost people and people who didn't have good experiences... it brings back those memories," he said.

"The steel that's the main form of it has got little elements that are forged which give it a much more tactile feel.

"With it being a Covid piece, one of the things we couldn't do [during the pandemic] was touch things, so I felt it was quite important. It has a human edge."

Young people from the city's Voices In Action youth council, pupils from two local schools and the Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery were involved in the design process.

At a workshop, members of the youth council made clay models to represent the positives that they saw during the pandemic.

These models have been cast in bronze and included in the sculpture.

The artwork was paid for by the Our City, Our River flood defence project, which is funded from a range of sources including central government.

The project has also seen tree and bulb planting take place at the cemetery.

Councillor Ndukwe Onuoha, Derby City Council's cabinet member for street pride, public safety, and leisure said: "During the pandemic we all pulled together, and the community effort behind this sculpture reflects that attitude."

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