Covid memorial smashed up again

A Covid memorial in Shaw has been smashed to pieces for the second time just under a year after it was targeted by vandals.

The engraved stone, tree, and memorial bench were installed at the gardens in Shaw town centre in 2020 to commemorate the efforts of NHS staff and other key workers during the global Coronavirus pandemic.

But this morning (March 9), a day after the official Covid-19 Day of Reflection, the commemorative stone was discovered smashed to pieces (pictured below) by local Councillor Louie Hamblett.

Councillor Louie Hamblett said: “Someone has gone out their way to target a dedicated memorial that thanks our hard-working NHS and blue light services during one of the challenging times since the second world war.” 

It’s the second ‘targeted attack’ on the memorial. Last year, vandals wrecked the stone and uprooted the tree just days after the fifth anniversary of the pandemic in March, and later spraypainted over a rainbow logo on the memorial bench. The repairs cost Shaw and Crompton town council £1,200 in total. 

Independent Councillor Marc Hince, Chair of the resources committee at the neighbourhood council, shared his outrage over the repeated attacks.

He said: “Ultimately this is a memorial to the dead and those who made significant sacrifices at a time that affected all of us. It’s my view that this is on par with a cenotaph for war veterans, and whether you agree or disagree with the circumstances, you wouldn’t go and destroy a war memorial.” 

Cllr Hince added Shaw and Crompton Town Council were ‘determined to honour the memories’ of those affected by the pandemic. The plan is to erect a new plaque in Shaw’s new community hall once a lease is secured at the Lifelong Learning Centre. 

The memorial site currently looks onto Shaw’s new health centre, in the vicinity of nurses and doctors who were on the frontline of the global medical crisis. At its unveiling, nurse Rachel Diskin and ward clerk Alyson Hopkinson from Royal Oldham Hospital shared their experiences of being on the sharp end of the pandemic, treating COVID patients and supporting their relatives and friends at a time of uncertainty.