Covid memorial: 'A shadow passed over us'

National Memorial Arboretum managing director Philippa Rawlinson laid flowers at the Trees of Life glade ahead of the ceremony

The fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK has been remembered at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Sunday's service included poetry, personal stories and music. It was arranged by NHS Charities Together, a charitable organisation which supports the health service.

Among the guests attending the event were children's author Michael Rosen, who spent 48 days in intensive care with Covid-19, and singers Lesley Garrett and Anthonia Edwards.

The event at the site in Alrewas, Staffordshire, took place on a national day of reflection and also included a minute's silence.

Mr Rosen, who is best known for We're Going on a Bear Hunt, wrote a poem reflecting on the impact of Covid which he recited during the service.

He said it was a time to reflect and that he was thinking of those who were in hospital with him who did not survive.

"A shadow passed over us and hundreds of thousands of people felt the sudden and unexpected loss of loved ones," he said.

He added: "Thanks to the expertise and care I received, I came through, but I look back over my shoulder and think of those who didn't.

"They were people who were with me in hospital or who didn't even get to hospital - companions of a sort. We owe it to them and their families to remember them."

Singer Lesley Garrett performed during a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic

Organisers said they wanted to reflect on the sacrifices made by people in the health service and volunteers.

NHS staff, patients, and bereaved families were in attendance, along with senior healthcare representatives and MPs.

The service featured some of their stories and there was a reading of the poem Blessed Alder by Dan Simpson, the arboretum's former poet-in-residence.

Ellie Orton OBE, chief executive of NHS Charities Together, said its research showed a fifth of people in the UK were still processing what happened to them during the pandemic.

"With over half of the UK still grieving for someone they lost due to Covid-19, we know how much this moment to reflect is needed," she said.

Author Michael Rosen recited a poem during the ceremony