Learn Lessons. Save Lives.
The Campaign
The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign is formed of over 6,000 people who lost their loved ones to Covid-19. They sought an urgent statutory inquiry into the way the pandemic was handled by public institutions so that lessons can be learned now before future COVID waves strike. They also campaigned for independent devolved inquiries in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In April 2021, they created the National Covid Memorial Wall, directly across the River Thames from the Houses of Parliament, as a visible memorial to their loved ones. The wall serves as a reminder of the sheer scale of the tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it’s had on so many families throughout the UK.
Their ultimate aim is for a rapid review to take place as soon as possible to prevent many more families from experiencing the pain of bereavement.
The National Covid Memorial Wall has become a place of healing for the whole country
We set out to ensure lessons were learned and lives saved. It means so much that our work has not gone unnoticed and that everyone who wants to see positive change has not only seen us but supported us every step of the way. This nomination is a very real example of this. Thank you so much.”
The National Covid Memorial Wall has become a place of healing for the whole country
We set out to ensure lessons were learned and lives saved. It means so much that our work has not gone unnoticed and that everyone who wants to see positive change has not only seen us but supported us every step of the way. This nomination is a very real example of this. Thank you so much.”
The Change
In May 2021, the Prime Minister announced a statutory inquiry into the Government’s handling of the pandemic with a Chair named in December. Representatives of the families met with the Chair and were promised that they will be at the heart of the inquiry. In Scotland, the campaign played a leading role in securing a separate independent inquiry.
The National Covid Memorial Wall has become a powerful and moving image of the pandemic losses and has been used extensively by media outlets worldwide. Campaign representatives have met with the Prime Minister, and both the BBC and Sky News credit the campaign with holding Government to account, having played a role in former Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigning following his breach of COVID guidelines.
The campaign also acts as a support group for bereaved families and signposts them to other support agencies.
The Future
Ensuring that bereaved families are front and centre of the inquiry, as the representative voice of thousands of people, and turning the National Covid Memorial Wall into a permanent national symbol of the appalling losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a place where families and friends can remember loved ones.
Who else was involved?
Broudie Jackson Canter, Led By Donkeys, the TUC, Unite, Unison, British Medical Association, Amnesty International, Sense, Independent Sage, Northern Health Science Alliance, and too many more to list here.
