Memorial to remember those lost to Covid-19 to be held in September

Frontline medical staff at several Dublin hospitals will cycle to the Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge this September to remember all of those who have lost their lives to Covid-19.

The initiative also aims to raise €150,000 for people impacted by the secondary challenges of the pandemic.

Staff from St Vincent’s Hospital, The Mater University Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital, Crumlin & Temple Steet Children’s Hospitals, St James Hospital will join other frontline workers from hospitals throughout the country.

The ICU4U event will see small teams of ICU doctors, nurses, paramedics, ambulance drivers, other healthcare staff and gardai depart from hospitals in Waterford, Belfast, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Cork on 2-3 September, with midway points in Dundalk, Athlone, Portlaoise and Kilkenny.

The Dublin based frontline staff will join colleagues in Sligo and depart their cycle from there back to Dublin.

The cyclists will pass through as many community hospitals as possible en route to Dublin, collecting white roses along the way to represent lives lost to the virus.

At the end of the cycle on Friday 3rd September, a brief commemoration ceremony will be held in line with public health restrictions at the Memorial Gardens Islandbridge.

The memorial will remember the victims of Covid-19 in front of 7000+ white roses, which will be displayed at the gardens for the weekend.

On Saturday 4th September members of the public will be invited to visit the commemoration site to take a rose and remember a loved one, making a charitable donation if they so wish.

The money raised will be donated to four charities which are supporting people affected by the pandemic.

These are ALONE (supporting older people), Aware (mental health supports), and Aware NI (supports for overcoming depression and changing lives in Northern Ireland), and Breakthrough Cancer Research (funding new treatments for poor prognosis and difficult to treat cancers).