National Workplace Day of Remembrance
Sunday 12 December marks the Workplace Day of Remembrance. Established in 2019 the day is a time to remember everyone who lost their lives.
Earlier this year, we unveiled two new heart sculptures to remember our colleagues we have lost throughout the pandemic and over the years gone by.
Those who attended the sculpture unveiling events observed a minutes silence and laid a posy of flowers at the sculptures, a poem was read out to encapsulate how they will act as a lasting memory of the sacrifice, dedication and compassion of our colleagues.
Heart Dedication Poem – by Alison Thorp, Chaplain at Queen’s Hospital Burton
It stands before us, a symbol of pride,
An icon for colleagues who fought side by side.
It remembers the cost, the challenges and the pain,
Of those we have lost and those who remain.
A strong metal heart frames a rainbow of hope
The glass discs an endless kaleidoscope,
With shifting patterns reflecting where we have been,
The battles we’ve fought, the changes we’ve seen.
This heart holds the hard work and the sacrifice,
Especially of those who paid the ultimate price.
It holds all the vision of those that inspired us,
As together we fought to counter this cruel virus.
It holds the hope of those who, in the starkness,
Were able to bring some light in the darkness.
It holds the compassion of each member of staff
Whose names form an unwritten epigraph.
It holds the response from communities here,
Themselves in the grip of heartbreak and fear.
It holds all the love of our family and friends
Providing support to achieve our ends
So, if fear, despair or anxiety plague us
Come stand awhile and recall the courageous
Let crisis, doubt and despondency cease
And feel the strength of this heart’s gentle peace.
The sculptures, which are 3.5 metres tall and house 56 glass discs, have been designed and created by international blacksmith artist Jenny Pickford. Jenny has been working with UHDB for over five years and also designed the Bluebell and Lily sculptures for cancer services and the Florence Nightingale statue as part of the renaming of the community hospital. The heart sculptures were developed based on overwhelming feedback from colleagues who asked for a piece of work based on hearts and rainbows, something that was ‘uplifting’, ‘beautiful’ and a long lasting tribute to the incredible hard work and sacrifices.