St Paul's Covid memorial campaign reaches £2.3m target

A campaign for a memorial in St Paul's Cathedral to those who have died in the Covid-19 pandemic has reached its £2.3m fundraising target.

The tribute will see an online book of remembrance installed in a purpose-built structure inside the famous London landmark.

More than 9,400 names have already been entered into the book as part of the cathedral's Remember Me project.

The money was raised in less than a month.

The campaign for the memorial, carried out in partnership with the Daily Mail newspaper, was launched on 1 May and reached its target on Saturday, a cathedral spokeswoman confirmed.

Dean of St Paul's Cathedral the Very Reverend Dr David Ison said: "All of us at St Paul's are hugely grateful to everyone who has contributed towards setting up this memorial.

"Thank you for sharing with us in bringing the memory of those who have died because of the virus into St Paul's, and enabling those who remember them to be welcomed.

"In the coming years the memorial will continue to touch people's hearts and ensure we do not forget the loss, the pain and the courage we have seen through the pandemic."

More than 127,000 people have died with Covid-19 in the UK, government figures show.

The online book will sit in a new portico structure and take a year to build.

It has been designed by Oliver Caroe, the cathedral's surveyor of the fabric, whose mother died of Covid-19.