First tree planted in Covid victim memorial forest

The first trees in the memorial forest were planted on the Crichton Estate in Dumfries

The first trees have been planted as part of a project to remember those who died of Covid in Dumfries and Galloway.

They will become a "dispersed forest" at five different towns across the region.

The project is part of the wider national Remembering Together scheme to allow people to recall those who died during the pandemic.

In total 400 trees will be planted to represent the lives lost in the region.

The first planting took place at the Crichton Estate in Dumfries near to the church in its grounds.

Events will follow in Castle Douglas, Sanquhar, Stranraer and Moffat.

Nurse Louise Clark helped to plant a tree to honour the efforts of NHS staff

Among those carrying out the planting was Louise Clark, a staff nurse at Dumfries Infirmary.

She was working in Covid admissions in Cumbria when the pandemic broke out.

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"It was a real time of difficulty for the staff with the challenges and the changes," she said.

She contracted Covid and took a year off from nursing before moving back to Dumfries.

Trees have been planted near the Crichton Church in Dumfries and will be planted in four other towns

"Being a bank nurse at Dumfries Infirmary I covered many wards of the hospital where they were short staffed," she said.

"That particular year of the pandemic was very difficult - it was very challenging for the staff.

"The staff, that year in 2021, had a very difficult experience

"We were all overworked, we were all over-tired - we all had worries, concerns and responsibilities."

Those involved said it was "very emotional" to see the project begin

She said the memorial forest could be part of the "healing experience" post-pandemic and hoped society could flourish like the trees being planted.

Across the five locations in Dumfries and Galloway, 400 trees will be planted - each representing a person who died with the virus.