A special wreath laying ceremony took place at the memorial garden next to West Lothian Civic Centre with Leader of West Lothian Council welcoming everyone to the proceedings.
A dedication was delivered by Rev Dr Nanda Groenewald before the poem 'The Song Thrush and the Mountain Ash', written by UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, was read by Norma Brown who sadly lost a loved one to Covid.
A wreath was then placed at the memorial by Norma and her family accompanied by a performance of 'Sad the Parting' by Piper Christopher Drummond, West Lothian Schools Pipe Band.
A minute's silence was held to reflect on those lost during the pandemic before Provost, Cathy Muldoon closed proceedings.
Leader of West Lothian Council, Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: "Many thanks to all who attended today and have been involved in the development of this memorial. I hope this garden will be a place of comfort for those impacted by the pandemic and a place where they can come to remember those lost."
The striking metal sculpture centre piece called 'The Ribbon', features a full surface pattern of artistic renderings of plants and flowers that symbolize remembrance, grief, hope and love for those who were lost during the pandemic.
This complements a feature wave wall, made of recycled stone from Polkemmet House in Whitburn. Members of the West Lothian public were invited to bring items with memories of cherished loved ones, which have been built into the wall to create a permanent memorial.
Further work on the landscape surrounding the memorial will take place in the coming months.
Scottish art and design studio Bespoke Atelier designed 'The Ribbon' after working extensively with West Lothian groups and communities to generate ideas, that reflected what residents felt as renewed sense of appreciation for outdoor spaces and community togetherness during and following the pandemic.
The Ribbon sculpture was fabricated by Ratho Byers Forge, whilst renowned artist and stone mason David F Wilson, creator of the striking Norgate sculpture at Deer Park Roundabout, crafted the adjacent feature wave wall.
Provost Cathy Muldoon said: "I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the Remembering Together Project and my heartfelt thanks to all who attended and participated in the opening ceremony. This has resulted in a truly worthwhile memorial, providing a small but important way that we can all remember those lost during the pandemic."
The project is wholly funded by the Scottish Government and Greenspace Scotland through their Remembering Together project, and seeks to give all of Scotland's 32 local authority areas the chance to reflect their unique experience of the Covid pandemic with the help of commissioned artists and creative organisations.
