Residents in south London stood outside their houses with burning candles to commemorate those they had lost.

“I’m just here to remember all the people who are not here. I’ve certainly lost a number of people during the last year,” said one London resident.

More than 126,000 people in Britain have lost their lives to the disease, a toll few people could have imagined in March 2020.

The past year has tested the country with repeated lockdowns, forcing families and friends to stay apart, as well as keeping children out of school.