Burnley shopping centre remembers lost loved ones with special art installation

A recently installed giant yellow heart will be displayed in the centre to raise awareness of lost loved ones due to coronavirus.

The campaign was started by the #loveforthelost support group, a community of families bereaved by the pandemic who want to ensure their loved ones are recognised and remembered as more than just a statistic.

The group came together when the Gompertz family put a yellow heart in their window to remember their grandma, mother, and wife, Sheila, and encouraged others grieving to do similar.

The idea took off and a Facebook group was set up to allow people to share photos and stories of their loved ones.

Debbie Hernon, Charter Walk centre manager, said: "The pandemic has presented unprecedented and extraordinary challenges for our communities, our retailers, our teams and our customers.

"We wanted to support the campaign to remember loved ones that lost their lives due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

"We were approached by a lady called Helen who recently lost her mother and we wanted to show our support to families across Burnley who are grieving."

Helen said: "My mum, Joan, was taken into hospital on 30th March with breathing difficulties after being ill with a chest infection and then suspected Covid-19.

"She had previously been a healthy and active 73-year-old. After nearly three weeks on a ventilator, mum passed away on the 18th April.

"After, I joined a social media group called 'Yellow Hearts to Remember - Covid 19', where fellow members support each other and share their stories.

"The group encourages those that have lost someone to Covid-19 to display a yellow heart in their window to show that behind the numbers are people that are loved and will be missed."

For more information visit www.charterwalk.com, or visit www.facebook.co.uk/charterwalk.burnley.