A PLACE to remember and allow people to reflect on the devastating consequences of the past 11 months was one of the hopes of The Herald memorial garden campaign.
Coronavirus has torn through families and left loved ones grieving during unprecedented times. And our vision was to create a memorial garden as a tribute to the thousands of Scots who have lost their lives to covid. Just days after the campaign launched, Glasgow City Council offered us a site in the grounds of the stunning Pollok Country Park with the project gaining widespread support. A public fund has so far raised more than £42,000 towards the project.
Many people have discovered a love for gardening since the start of the pandemic. Photograph: AleksandarNakic/Getty Images
When the UK was first plunged into lockdown in March 2020, many who weren’t key workers or overnight home school teachers were left with an unprecedented amount of free time on their hands – and just when they really needed the distractions of everyday life the most. With restrictions in place once more, we meet people across the four nations of the UK who have managed to find the positives of life being on pause.
‘I’ve been working on helping others’
Aqeel Ahmed, 22, is a civil servant from Glasgow
Santa Clause himself paid a socially distanced visit to G53 Together to spread festive cheer on Friday. The group, a collective of organisations and volunteers established to support the community during the pandemic, held live Facebook event featuring Santa, stories and songs to help the community to get into the festive mood. The event took place due to worries about children missing out on being able to meet Santa in person at a grotto and being able to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.
Read more: Deputy council leader Councillor David McDonald, who had been working with Santa on the preparations for the event, said: Santa contacted me a few weeks ago. He told me that he was really going to miss getting to meet all the kids and their families, but he wanted to find a way to do that while making sure that everyone stayed as healthy and safe as they could be over this special time of the year.