A day of remembering loved ones at Manchester Cathedral
St Ann's Hospice's Light Up a Life services at Manchester Cathedral on Sunday 1st December were a chance for families and friends to come together to remember people they love at this special time of year.
Manchester Cathedral was filled with supporters of St Ann’s Hospice as they gathered for our special Light Up a Life services to remember loved ones who have died and for many, who were cared for by the hospice.
Three services were held throughout the day, which included fabulous performances from the Rock Choir, a poem read by St Ann’s clinical team members Fiona Sanderson and Lyndsey Ayers, as well as Mrs Diane Hawkins JP LLB, His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, and beautiful words of remembrance from three of our supporters.
Paul Bottomley spoke to remember his Dad Martin who died at the hospice. He said: “St Ann’s Hospice has become a safe space, a place where we can remember Dad. They have supported us long after he died and we will forever be grateful for all they did for him during the last few weeks of his life.”
Lisa Warbrook spoke at our second service of the day about the care provided by St Ann’s for her mum Barbara. She said: “As a family we have developed a deep connection with St Ann’s Hospice as they provided exceptional care to my mum. Her diagnosis left us feeling lost and uncertain about what would happen next, but during her stay at the hospice she refered to it as St Ann’s Hotel, which gave me great comfort.
“I was able to reconnect with my mum as her daughter, not a carer. St Ann’s provided unwavering support to my mum and our family. I will never be able to fully pay back what they have done to help my mum, but it has been a priviledge to talk to you today.”
To finish the day, Deborah Major spoke about her husband Karl saying; “As soon as we arrived at St Ann’s Hospice I knew we had made the right decision and the team were incredible. I will never forget the tenderness and care of all of the staff and the support they gave to my sons Charlie and Matthew and I.”
At the services, guests lit candles and wrote special messages on baubles to hang on the Christmas tree at Manchester Cathedral.
This day, marked the start of a week of Light Up a Life services. Throughout the week there will be the following services:
- St Ann’s Hospice, Little Hulton (outdoors), Monday 2nd December 7pm.
- St Peter’s Church, Hale, Wednesday 4th December 7pm
- St Ann’s Hospice, Heald Green (outdoors) Thursday 5th December 7pm.