Communities across North Yorkshire are being asked to mark the fifth anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic by displaying the kindness and depth of support that were shown in the county during the health crisis.
We are backing a national day of reflection which will be staged on Sunday, 9 March, when residents will be asked take part in a series of activities including a simple act of kindness for a friend, relative or neighbour.
The pandemic’s devastating impact saw about 2,000 deaths registered in North Yorkshire which were linked to Covid-19.
A video has now been produced by the council featuring footage shot during the pandemic of volunteers and the recipients of the acts of kindness and includes an interview with the authority’s director of public health, Louise Wallace.
Executive member for health and adult services, Cllr Michael Harrison, said: “The chance to mark five years since the outbreak of the pandemic is a poignant moment for all of us to remember the devastating impact that Covid-19 had on our lives, and its ongoing impacts.
“But it is also an opportunity to celebrate the strength of goodwill and compassion that was displayed across the country, and especially here in North Yorkshire.
“The county’s communities are truly very special, and this event will allow us all to remember how people came together to support each other, whether that be friends and family or often complete strangers.
“Many of those bonds that were forged during the pandemic are still very much evident today, proving how positives can come out of such a traumatic period in our history.”
The community’s effort in North Yorkshire during the pandemic saw volunteers give 216,715 hours of their time to support others, with 37,399 shopping deliveries made and 24,120 prescriptions delivered to vulnerable residents.
A total of 52,252 meals were also delivered and 20,595 transport trips provided while 64,134 befriending calls were made to help combat isolation and loneliness in the county.
In the video which has been released in the run-up to the day of reflection, Ms Wallace has paid tribute to the work of communities in North Yorkshire.
The soundtrack of the Covid-19 day of reflection video is the haunting Song of the Sea, which was recorded online in July 2023 instead of during residential courses held by the North Yorkshire County Youth Choir.
Louise said: “There is a real spirit in this county, a real resilience – people really get on, get stuck in and look after each other and care for each other.
“Shopping, delivering prescriptions, visiting, calling on people when it was safe to do so, all of those great features are in our fantastic communities and the wonderful people who live here.”
Other suggestions for activities as part of the national day of reflection include making a mini-memorial to place in a window at home, lighting a candle in memory of someone who died due to Covid-19 and donating to a charity that helped communities during the pandemic.
Louise added: “A small act of kindness can make a huge amount of difference to somebody in our communities for a long time to come.”
Residents are also being urged to spend a moment of reflection at locations on a tree trail which was planted by the council in 2023 across North Yorkshire to act as a lasting memorial to all those who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The locations of the tree trail are being featured on a website produced by the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration which was set up to find appropriate ways to remember those who lost their lives since the pandemic began.
The commission held an indepth consultation with those most impacted by the pandemic, including representatives from bereaved family organisations. In September 2023, it published its final report, recommending an annual UK-wide day of reflection.