Light up your dedication to lost loved one
HUNDREDS of lights will be illuminated across Greater Manchester in the coming weeks as part of St Ann’s Hospice’s Light up a Life Appeal.
Each light is dedicated to a loved one who will not be here to celebrate Christmas this year.
Over the last 25 years, thousands of people have taken part in the Light up a Life Appeal for St Ann’s Hospice. Many more have joined the appeal again this year, either by dedicating a light on one of the hospice trees, or dedicating a light online in the charity’s Winter Forest which can include a photo and message to a loved one.
Organisers are expecting hundreds of people to attend services of celebration in the coming weeks.
The services, which will be held both in person and online, are completely free to attend. Outdoor services will be held at St Ann’s sites in Heald Green on December 9 and Little Hulton on December 6.
People will also come together in December at St Peter’s Church in Hale and at Manchester Cathedral.
During the services, the lights will be turned on in honour of those being remembered, and family members will share their stories of the support they received from St Ann’s. The congregation will also join together in remembrance through songs, poems and times of reflection.
Emma Dixon, director of clinical services at St Ann’s, explained: “Over the past 18 months we’ve found it incredibly important at the hospice to pause and acknowledge our experiences – lifting our heads up, taking time out to reflect and looking back on special moments, memories and the people we’ve cared for.
“That’s one of the reasons why I love our Light up a Life Appeal, especially the services. It’s a way for us to come together as a community in Manchester and beyond and recognise all that we’ve been through, the people and things close to our hearts we’ve lost and the memories which we’ll treasure.”