Remember someone special with our Tree of Light
We’re inviting the local community to come together to remember loved ones at our annual Tree of Light service.
Taking place on Sunday 9 December at the K2 Leisure Centre, Crawley, from 3pm, this moving event offers bereaved family and friends an opportunity to reflect on the year that’s passed and honour someone special.
Everyone who attends is invited to place a dedication star on our Tree of Light, with an in memory donation for this encouraged. By dedicating a star, you’re not only remembering the person you love, you’re also helping other people’s loved ones. Your donations allow us to provide expert care to more local people and give more people the chance to spend treasured time with family and friends.
This year’s service will include music from One Voice Community Choir, a solo by Rasela Sosoli, and carefully chosen readings with refreshments served after the service. Trained counsellors and members of our listening team will also be on hand to speak to and offer support to anyone who would find this helpful.
Our Tree of Light event is open to everyone, regardless of whether they’ve known someone cared for by the hospice.
Rev Lisa Rainier, Spiritual Care Lead at the hospice, said: “The death of someone close is one of life’s hardest experiences and Christmas can be an especially difficult and poignant time of year. Traditionally, Christmas is a time to be with family and friends so Tree of Light is a great way to remind those who are bereaved in our local community that we understand their feelings of loss and that we’re here to offer them support.
At Tree of Light, our decorated trees stand as beautiful, shining memorials to the people we all love and miss and although services are designed to allow people to reflect on their loss, and reassure them that their feelings are normal, ultimately, they’re uplifting. In fact, many people tell me that after attending Tree of Light they feel more able to appreciate and engage with the spirit of the festive season.”
If you can’t attend the K2 service, Crawley United Reformed Church (Worth Park Ave RH10 3DF) has a Tree of Light service on Sunday 2 December at 4pm and there are other smaller services in churches across Sussex and Surrey on both Sunday 2 and Sunday 9 December. For full details please click here
For more information on making a donation, attending the K2 Tree of Light or a service more local to you please contact Isabelle Taylor on 01293 583059 or email: remembering@stch.org.uk
We’re currently only able to provide end of life care to one in three local people in the community around us. With your support, we want to be there for everyone when life comes full circle. Please consider supporting us with a donation by clicking here – Thank you.
