Watford leads the way on COVID-19 online book of remembrance

• Almost a third of families in Watford who’ve lost loved ones to COVID-19 have paid tribute on Remember Me

• Five areas in the Midlands are featured in the top 20 towns and cities to have online memorials to those who’ve died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

• Meanwhile, nearly half of all tributes in the top 20 are from areas in the north of England

• Two months since launch, 5,517 memorials have been added to the online book of remembrance

London: July 23, 2020 – Almost a third (30.8%) of families in Watford who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 have paid tribute on the online book of remembrance Remember Me.

While five areas in the Midlands – Nottingham, Birmingham, Leicester, Northampton and Wolverhampton – are featured in the top 20 towns and cities to have online memorials to those who have died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK.  Half of all tributes on the memorial site come from towns and cities in the north of England.

Unsurprisingly, the UK capital leads the number of tributes with 783 (14% of all memorials on Remember Me). Just under one in ten families in London (9%) have added the names of their loved ones to the remembrance site.

The following table shows the top 20 towns or cities where families have paid tribute to their loved ones compared to the actual number of deaths due to COVID-19:

Source: Remember Me website and Office for National Statistics.

*Please note, the figure given for no of COVID-19 deaths relates to Greater Glasgow and Clyde, not the City of Glasgow.

**Please note, the figure given for no of COVID-19 deaths relates for Country Durham, not the City of Durham.

Latest figures reveal 5,517 memorials have now been added to Remember Me since its launch two months ago. St Paul’s Cathedral continues to invite anyone who has experienced a death of a loved one as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to contribute a memorial to the online book of remembrance.

The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Very Reverend David Ison, said: “During the height of the coronavirus pandemic in April, we recognised the pain and anguish so many were suffering after losing a loved one to COVID-19. We thought an online memorial to remember and mourn those who had died was one way of meeting an urgent, unmet need of bereaved families. They didn’t want their close relatives to be just another statistic.

“We are inviting anyone regardless of faith or background to leave a lasting tribute on Remember Me”.

The intention is for Remember Me site to become a physical memorial at St Paul’s Cathedral, subject to funding. The Cathedral has approved designs for a new inner porch in the North transept and this would serve as a fitting memorial for all who have died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

HRH The Prince of Wales has recorded a video message in support of Remember Me. Faith leaders across the UK have lent their support including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Chief Rabbi, the Muslim Council of Britain, the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board and a number of other Muslim leaders, and representatives from the Hindu Council UK and Sikh Council UK.