Hundreds queue to fill Manchester Love Letters Wall with thank-you messages
THANK YOU MANCHESTER WEEKEND a festival in Manchester city centre to celebrate the re-opening of the city after the pandemic
Hundreds of people lined up in Manchester on Sunday afternoon to make a contribution to a Love Letters Wall created to show thanks to those who’ve helped the city through the pandemic.
The artwork – consisting of bright, white letters spanning 14 metres and measuring 1.4 metres high – was put together as part of the Thank You Manchester Weekender – a free festival held on Saturday and Sunday.
Local artists assembled the wall, with the public invited to write their own messages to show appreciation for people who’ve helped with “kindness, practical help, learning support or life-saving expertise” during the past 18 months.
The local council hopes to put the Love Letter to Manchester Wall on public display following the festival, with the artwork functioning “as a powerful symbol of the spirit of the city during the pandemic and a recognition of all those we want to remember and to thank.”
Councillor Pat Karney, Chair of the Thank You Manchester Weekender on behalf of Manchester City Council, said: “This feeling we’ve all felt this weekend after being able to see and to hear our city once more, and to enjoy everything it has to offer, is amazing. It’s like the city has woken up.
“Sleeping Beauty herself, waking up after one hundred years, could not have been happier than Mancunians this weekend.
“We have been dancing, laughing, and re-connecting with our families, our friends, and the city we love.”
Karney added: “Just as importantly, we’ve also made time to remember those we have lost, to reflect on what we have been through, and to say thank you where thanks are due from the very bottom of our hearts, to all those who have selflessly supported and helped us, during the most difficult of times these last 18 months.”
The city played host to live music and street theatre throughout the weekend as the Manchester Love Letters Wall was constructed.
A minute’s silence was also held on St Ann’s Square to remember those lost during the pandemic.