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On 26 June a service was held at KGH to inter 300 memorial crosses laid during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The service was taken by Hospital Lead Chaplain, Revd Mike Corcoran and attended by James Steele who lost his mother, Betty to Covid-19 in May 2020.
The 300 small, wooden crosses were originally laid by James Steele in November 2020 and were located on an area of lawn close to the entrance of KGH. They were intended as a memorial to those lost in the first wave of the pandemic and remained there until February 2022. After this time, they were collected and placed in a memory box housed within the hospital chapel. A memorial stone donated by stonemason Michael Maynard, who lost his father Reginald to Covid-19, was laid to replace the crosses.
During the service on 26 June, the original crosses were interred in the hospital’s Pocket Park in a specific area dedicated to the memory of those lost to Covid-19. A memorial tree was planted and a new plaque unveiled to mark the site.
The plaque, donated by Maynard Memorials, displays the message:
This plaque marks the final resting place of the memorial crosses placed outside Kettering General Hospital during the 2020 Covid Pandemic.
These crosses honour the memory of all those who were taken too soon.
May they rest in peace.
We also remember with heartfelt gratitude all those who fought so hard to save lives.
Revd Mike Corcoran, Hospital Lead Chaplain said of the service ‘our interment service for the Covid Memorial Crosses was an important event for the relatives of those who died during the pandemic to remember lost loved ones in the hope of being re-united in the future. It was also an occasion for all of us to reflect that some people are still suffering the aftermath of the covid pandemic through bereavement, long covid and mental health difficulties.'
‘However, we also came together to recall the positive things from that difficult time; the hard work and dedication of our NHS staff here at KGH, the sense of community and caring for our neighbours, and the values about life that we rediscovered or discovered for the first time.’