Thalidomide Memorial, Cathays Park, Cardiff

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What is recorded here

The stone Thalidomide Memorial in Cardiff's Alexandra Gardens remembers people whose lives and bodies were harmed by thalidomide, children and adults who died, the relatives who cared for them and those who fought for justice. Unveiled in 2016, it turns a continuing human tragedy into a permanent place for names, tributes and remembrance.

Why it was made

The memorial was created to give lasting public recognition to people affected by thalidomide and to their families. Its dedication reaches beyond those who survived: it expressly remembers children who did not have the chance of a full life, parents and loved ones who gave years of care, and campaigners who worked for acknowledgement and justice.

People and events

Dr Peter Beck, then Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, unveiled the monument on 30 June 2016. The written dedication avoids reducing the tragedy to one date or one group. It says people and families continue to be affected, and it gives equal room to impaired adults, children who died, carers and those who supported the struggle for justice.

How it worked

Stone and written words provide a fixed gathering point in the gardens, while the linked memorial website carries the remembrance beyond Cardiff. Families and friends can send accounts of loved ones' lives and achievements. Each tribute is checked before it appears and is intended to remain permanently, building a record led by the people closest to those being remembered.

What remains

The permanent memorial stands in Alexandra Gardens within Cathays Park. Its closing thought, ‘To Remember Is To Care’, explains the purpose of the place without claiming that remembrance has ended the consequences. The website broadens the record to a worldwide audience and says its tributes concern people in the United Kingdom first, but are not limited to them.

Why it mattered

The monument gives public space to lives that might otherwise be discussed only through a drug scandal or a campaign for payment. By inviting personal tributes, it keeps achievements, relationships and long care alongside injury and death. The available sources establish that memorial purpose; they do not give enough medical detail to turn this particular page into a full history of thalidomide itself.