Lisburn & Castlereagh lights up yellow for National Day of Reflection
March 23, 2022
Chair of Corporate Services Committee, Councillor John Laverty BEM welcomed Anne Hannan (Marie Curie) and Lisa Steele (HSBC) to Lagan Valley Island to light up the building yellow to mark the National Day of Reflection for Remembrance of Lives Lost due to COVID-19.
Cllr Laverty said: “I am glad to have approved this building light up of our civic headquarters as an act of remembrance to lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Marie Curie ask us to take time to connect, support the millions of people who are grieving and remember the family, friends, neighbours and colleagues we've lost over the last two years.
“I’m proud to be joined by Anne from Marie Curie who have been the forerunners of this mark of remembrance and Lisa Steele from HSBC who have been supporting this campaign in their branches."
Mayor of Lisburn and Castlereagh, Alderman Stephen Martin, reflected on what a significant day this is: "The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every person and every family in so many ways. We have all experienced change on a scale that was unthinkable just a few short years ago.
"Today is an important opportunity for the whole community to stop, even just for a few minutes to remember. Being apart has not been easy. We are a social, kind & caring community and we are at our best when we are together. Yet when the ask was made to lockdown, you stepped up. As we separated from one another we became stronger through a sense of togetherness and community spirit which was always there but came to the fore in those difficult times.
"On this National Day of Reflection, as Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council I join with other civic leaders across Northern Ireland in reflecting on the journey to date and what lies ahead. Perhaps today gives us space to consider what else we need to do to support each other better.
"We also thank our key workers both in the council and across all sectors who kept us moving forward. As a Council we look forward to recognising the invaluable contribution of our health service staff as we bestow the Freedom of the City later this spring.
"We should make more time for each other and ourselves knowing that it’s in our shared experiences - in our community of ideas and interactions - that hope springs eternal for better days ahead."
Caption: Pictured (L-R) is Councillor John Laverty BEM (Chair of Corporate Services Committee), Anne Hannan (Marie Curie), Alderman Michael Henderson MBE (Vice-Chair of Corporate Services Committee), and Lisa Steele (HSBC).