photo credit - Allanton Peace Sanctuary, photo by Maggie Broadly

Collective acts of reflection, remembrance, hope and healing with communities across Scotland

Scotland’s Covid Community Memorial Programme, named Remembering Together, is working with local partners to commission artists in all 32 local authority areas to co-create collective acts of reflection, remembrance, hope and healing with communities across Scotland. The programme is managed by greenspace scotland with funding support from Scottish Government.

“As we cautiously take steps towards a more normal way of life, it’s important to remember that the grief and suffering remains for those who have lost loved ones throughout the pandemic.

The Community Memorials programme will provide fitting and lasting local tributes to those who lost their lives to COVID-19 and other illnesses during the pandemic, and will support those who have experienced change, loss and isolation in other ways. I would greatly encourage artists and communities across Scotland to participate in the programme.

The programme will provide spaces that people can visit, and cherish; where people will be able to gather in person to mark the pandemic and to remember those we have lost, and pay tribute to the many ways we offered support and solidarity to one another during an extraordinary period.”

- First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

The Remembering Together website has now been launched at www.rememberingtogether.scot

Callouts for artists/creative practitioners

Programme partners across Scotland will soon be issuing callouts to artists/creative practitioners in all disciplines for expressions of interest in phase 1 of the programme. Visit Current Callouts — Remembering Together | Co-creating Covid Community Memorials to find out how to submit an expression of interest.

Co-creating with communities

Taking a co-creation approach between artists and communities may not lead to the kinds of memorials we expect. Rather than working in community ‘consultation’, Remembering Together is a process of co-creation; the commissioned artists and the communities they work with will be able to express ideas that are important to them, in artistic and creative ways through a relevant, aware, welcoming and honest dialogue.

To find out what is happening in your area, visit In Your Area — Remembering Together | Co-creating Covid Community Memorials

Working with national partners

As well as local authority area partners, an Advisory Group has been formed to provide specialist knowledge and experience in numerous disciplines including community working, equality, health and wellbeing. Three freelance associates have also been appointed to work on Remembering Together. Remembering Together Advisory Group — Remembering Together | Co-creating Covid Community Memorials

For more information about Remembering Together:

• Contact: Kim Simpson (Programme Manager) [email protected]
• Carla Almeida (Project Officer) [email protected]
• John Saich (Project Officer) [email protected]

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Notes

• Scotland’s Covid Community Memorial was announced by the First Minster in March 2021, on the anniversary of Scotland’s first national lockdown
• Now named Remembering Together, the programme is being delivered by greenspace scotland and is supported with £4.1 million provided by the Scottish Government
• Remembering Together will be managed in two phases. Phase 1 is a five-month period of co-creation in each local authority area between communities and the artists/creative practitioners selected following responses to an advertised brief. In phase 2, for up to nine months, the co-created ideas in each area will be realised in whatever way communities feel is the most appropriate for them
• Local reference groups in each area are working with the greenspace scotland Remembering Together team to identify communities most impacted by Covid-19 and to assist with access
• A National Advisory Group has been established to work with greenspace scotland in the delivery of Remembering Together which includes LGBT Health and Wellbeing, Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland, NHS Charities Together, Age Scotland, Diversity Scotland and others