Barnsley Covid memorial: Date set for sculpture unveiling

Barnsley Council said the final memorial would be much higher quality than this maquette, or sketch

A permanent memorial to unsung pandemic workers and those who have died with Covid-19 will be unveiled in Barnsley later this month.

The £210,000 bronze sculpture will be revealed in the town's new Glass Works square on 22 November.

Sculptor Graham Ibbeson's artwork, titled Reverence, was paid for by the council and partners.

Key workers and bereaved families will be at the ceremony, led by the former Archbishop of York Lord Sentamu.

The Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Prof Dame Hilary Chapman DBE, will also be at the unveiling.

Mr Ibbeson's sculpture depicts ordinary workers, representing those affected by the pandemic, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Ian McMillan's words, to be engraved on the sculpture's plinth, were created in neon at Barnsley's central library for Valentine's Day in February

The line "Barnsley's fierce love will hold you forever in its heart" by town poet Ian McMillan will be etched on a plinth on the work.

The words have previously been projected from the town's central library on Valentine's Day.

By the end of October, more than 900 people in Barnsley had died with covid, figures show.

Council leader Sir Steve Houghton said the pandemic continued to affect everyone and urged people in the town to attend the opening ceremony and "reflect on those we've lost and those who work so tirelessly in our communities".