Crawley Borough Council marks the National Day of Reflection for the COVID-19 pandemic

The day gave the nation an opportunity to reflect and commemorate those who lost their lives and for everyone impacted by the pandemic.

2025 marks the fifth anniversary since the start of the pandemic and represents a significant milestone for all those affected. Crawley Borough Council will mark the occasion by planting an avenue of 22 trees in Memorial Gardens later this year. The trees will be a variety called Upright Sweet Gum, which have star shaped green leaves that transform into blazing reds, oranges, and purples in autumn. The tree’s narrow, upright growth habit makes them ideal to brighten up urban areas.

The avenue will create a fitting, living memorial in this significant year and will be funded and maintained by town centre developers through Section 106 contributions, with the trees being planted and maintained by the council’s tree team.

Councillor Sharmila Sivarajah said: “This year marks a significant milestone since the start of the pandemic. I was accompanied yesterday by Mrs Bhavna Sharma who was the wife of the late former Councillor and Mayor Raj Sharma who was tragically affected by the pandemic. A stark reflection on how so many of us were affected personally.