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Granite monuments and memorial gardens to those who died from coronavirus are to be erected at Barham and Charing crematoria.
They will be a 'tranquil place' to remember lost loved ones and a tribute to those who made sacrifices to help the sick and dying during the crisis, says the company which runs the facilities near Canterbury and Ashford.
"We are proud that all our crematoria have close links with their local communities and we thought it would be an appropriate gesture to create these permanent and lasting memorials," said Astrud Matanle, who is regional manager for the Westerleigh Group.
The new Kent memorials will be two of 34 to be installed at the company's crematoria across the country.
It has produced an artist's impression of how the new memorials will look showing a polished black granite stone monument, carved by the company's own stonemasons, as the centre piece surrounded by a floral arrangement representing a rainbow, which has become a symbol of hope during the pandemic.
"Many people have put pictures of rainbows in their windows during the lockdown, to cheer up passers-by and to offer a bright message of hope," said Astrud.
"They will be special place places where people can remember and reflect on the loved ones they have lost"
"Our rainbows will be created using the vibrant colours of begonias, petunias and geraniums."
Work is expected to begin on the stone memorials in the autumn with garden landscaping taking place in early spring 2021.
The teams at each crematoria are now working to identify the best location within their grounds for the gardens, which are expected to open mid-to-late spring 2021.
"They will be special places where people can remember and reflect on the loved ones they have lost and give thanks to the wonderful way that the NHS, key workers and whole communities pulled together during this unprecedented crisis," said Astrud.
"As this project progresses, we will be reaching out to our local communities to help shape and finalise our plans."
