Westminster Abbey to hold Memorial Woodland service
Sunday, 16th May 2021
The Abbey will hold a memorial service this autumn with the National Memorial Arboretum and National Forest Company to support their creation of a 25-acre woodland in memory of every person who died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A grove of trees representing the diversity of religion across the Commonwealth will be planted in the woodland. The trees will be blessed during the service which will bring together many different faiths in remembering the loss of life and the impact of bereavement in the last year.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle said:
For over a thousand years, Westminster Abbey has been a place in which the nation has acknowledged both the seriousness of death and bereavement whilst proclaiming a faith and hope that will not be defeated.
The impact of this pandemic has changed us all. We are a people who have encountered deep sorrow and faced up to isolation. We have witnessed acts of selfless courage and admired resilience and generosity of spirit. In a service in the Abbey, and in a memorial that will endure for generations, we have the opportunity to give expression to what has happened to us and what we hope for.
Further details will be announced closer to the date.
