Lighting up our Stars in December

At the start of December, we held our first Light up a Star event at All Saints church, just a few minutes walk from Shooting Star House, our outreach, therapies and support centre.

The remembrance service welcomed bereaved families, both those currently supported and those we’ve supported in years gone by, as well as supporters who have given gifts in memory, to come together and reflect on the special moments shared with loved ones who are no longer with us.

The service included poems, music and moment of reflection. Those attending were also sent a special lantern ahead of the service which they could decorate in memory of their loved one and bring along to the service to light. Some attendees chose to leave their lanterns in the church, where they shone all night. These have now been moved to the tranquil suite at Shooting Star House, where they are still shining bright in memory of loved ones. Families were also able to set up tributes and leave messages and photos on our dedicated tribute page.

The service featured a song and guitar performance from a supported family in memory of their daughter. There was also music from our Lead Therapist, Marion, and Head of Psychosocial Services, who sang and performed on the piano and harp respectively.

Katie Harverson and Laura Whittle from our Supporter Development team who lead on setting up the event said “A huge thank you to everyone who made our first Light up a Star event possible. We were so pleased to welcome supporters to join us to remember their loved ones. We are so grateful to Donna and everyone at All Saints Parish for allowing us to hold this service in their beautiful church and for welcoming us to be a part of their community. We would also like to thank our wonderful care team, our fundraising team and our incredible volunteers. The service would not have been possible without their help. We felt honoured to share this precious time of reflection with everyone who attended.”