Last updated: March 22, 2024

This campaign is now fully funded – thank you!

Put a heart on our rainbow to remember a loved one or to honour those who have gone above and beyond for you throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Help us honour those who have worked tirelessly through the pandemic, as well as remembering those we have lost, by creating a special and lasting monument in Doncaster.

The pandemic is a period of time we’ll never forget. As a country, we’ve suffered heart break like never before, we’ve lost loved ones well before their time, remained indoors and put many aspects of our life on hold. In response, we have adapted to a new way of living, mastering different skills and learning how to enjoy a ‘new normal’. Although it’s been a challenge, each one of us, in our own way, have helped in the fight against COVID-19.

Team Doncaster have created a special and lasting monument to those key and essential workers who have supported our communities throughout the pandemic, as well as a tribute to those we have lost to the horrid illness.

Named Hearts for Doncaster, standing at almost nine feet tall and 18 feet wide, this memorial (pictured below) takes pride of place within the Doncaster Archive Centre on Chequer Road. Shaped like a rainbow, the statue will be adorned with appropriately coloured hearts, each bearing a brief dedication to friends, family and loved ones, either in recognition of their efforts throughout the 12-month period, or instead in loving memory of someone sadly taken before their time.

Working with the British Ironworks Centre, the completed structure will feature 5,000 individually donated hearts, with all proceeds raised from the project going towards Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity to be directly reinvested in patient care and treatment.

This is your opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to those who went above and beyond for you, whether it’s your friend, family, neighbour, colleagues, NHS and social care professionals, postman, waste collectors or supermarket worker – alternatively, you can dedicate a heart as an act of remembrance to those taken before their time.

Where will the memorial be based?

The monument is situated within the gardens of the Doncaster Archive Centre on Chequer Road, just below the Civic Office and is accessible to the public at the following times:

• Mon – Fri: 9am – 4pm
• Saturday: 10am – 4pm

The majority of hearts on the sculpture are dedicated in memory of a loved one, therefore, we felt that the sculpture needed to be in a serene location where supporters could sit and reflect in a peaceful environment.

The gardens of the Archive Centre are filled with benches where supporters can sit for as long as they like, enjoying the new space surrounding them.

How can I dedicate a heart?

To dedicate a Heart for Doncaster, fill out the form at the bottom of this page. It costs just £20 per heart and each heart will be individually engraved with your chosen message for all to see.

Each heart can hold up to 70 characters, this includes spaces and will be split across five lines. Examples include:

• “To all keyworkers, thank you for going above and beyond”
• “Mum – forever in our hearts, always and forever. Love always, your family.”
• “To all of those NHS heroes – thank you for your dedication”

Help us spread the word using the hashtag #HeartsForDoncaster and your social media profiles!

I’ve purchased a heart – where do I download my certificate?

You can download your certificate here.

What do the hearts look like?

Each heart is individually engraved with a special message, and every single donated shape will help to complete the rainbow. Each heart can be purchased for just £20.

What will the final memorial look like?

Standing at almost 9 feet, and 18 feet wide, the Hearts for Doncaster memorial will consist of a blue rainbow-shaped structure. Filled on a rolling basis, it will be adorned head to toe with a total of 5,000 different coloured hearts. Look below to see it coming to life!

Constituent members include Doncaster Council, NHS Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, amongst other public and private organisation in the borough.