Gateshead Covid memorial proposed for Saltwell Park

Gateshead Council says the proposed artwork would be "thoughtful and uplifting"

Plans have been unveiled for a Covid memorial at a Tyneside park.

The artwork, titled Circling the Void, has been proposed for Gateshead's Saltwell Park.

It would pay tribute to the 807 people in the borough whose deaths were recorded as Covid-related between April 2020 and December 2023.

Planning documents say it would consist of about 740 stainless steel "particles" in the form of a torus, or ring.

The budget for the 1.75m-high sculpture is between £12,000 and £14,000, including installation.

Artist Joseph Hillier has been selected by the Labour-led local authority to design the artwork.

'Positive feedback'

The council's design statement said the artwork "would need to acknowledge the loss of the many Gateshead lives from Covid-19, yet be thoughtful and uplifting to provide comfort for families and friends affected during the pandemic".

It continued: "As the architecture of the interior is formed around the loss of loved ones so this work forms itself around an empty space. This abstract approach allows for thought and reflection."

The council's application said visitors to the park had been consulted and given "positive feedback", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Planners will decide whether to approve the project at a later date.