大象传媒

Every Friday, a small group of volunteers paint red hearts on the National Covid Memorial Wall, in the heart of Westminster. As the world moves on, why do they keep coming back?

In this award-winning feature, producer Evan Green weaves together testimonies from the group into a captivating sonic snapshot of the wall, and everything it means to them. For over three years, this tight-knit group of bereaved volunteers has gathered here every Friday, come rain or shine, fuelled by coffee and cake.

Nearly a quarter of a million red hearts fill the wall, each heart representing a life lost to Covid-19. Each with a unique story - bound together by a shared loss and driven by a hearty recipe of love and anger in equal parts - the Friends of the Wall are determined to ensure the hearts on the wall don鈥檛 fade.

New Storytellers presents the work of new audio producers. This series features the winners of the Charles Parker Prize 2024. The award is presented every year in memory of the pioneering radio producer Charles Parker who produced the ground-breaking Radio Ballads featuring voices of communities unheard at the time, with musical narratives by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger.

The judges of the prize 鈥� made up of producers, critics and commissioners 鈥� described Evan Green鈥檚 winning feature as an 鈥渆xcellent programme鈥� based on 鈥渁 simple yet riveting idea, told through marvellously articulate speakers鈥� beautifully recorded鈥�.

Producer: Evan Green
A Soundscape production for 大象传媒 Radio 4