Dr. Kershaw’s Hospice in Royton, Greater Manchester, which provides specialist care for those with life-limiting illnesses, is holding its annual Light Up a Life service virtually.
An independent hospice and a registered charity, Dr. Kershaw’s was opened in 1989 and offers free end-of-life and palliative care for adults within Oldham and its surrounding areas.
Dr. Kershaw’s is partially funded by the Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group, but the majority of the £3.6million annual budget is supported by fundraising activities, donations, legacies, income from the hospice shops and revenue from the hospice lottery.
Each December, and this year taking place during National Grief Awareness Week, the hospice holds its Light Up a Life service in memory of those no longer with us during the festive period.
The multi-faith service gives family and friends the opportunity to remember loved ones no matter their faith, culture or connection to the hospice.
This year’s virtual service will be a first for the hospice as they looked at alternative ways to bring the much-loved service to the community safely and in line with the current government guidelines.
Speaking about the service, which will be streamed online, Dr. Kershaw’s Hospice’s digital & events fundraiser, Grace Carr, said: ‘Those who have made a dedication will have a light lit in memory of their loved ones on the Hospice’s dedication tree as a symbol of remembrance and will have a special place in Dr. Kershaw’s Light Up a Life Book of Remembrance as well as remembering them on screen during the virtual service.’
Grace notes that the hospice have received an incredible amount of dedications this year – over 1,000 – to remember those who are sadly no longer with us but still live on in our memories and hearts.
The service will be streamed on Sunday, December 6 at 7.00pm and is available to stream via Facebook and YouTube. For those wanting to listen to the service, the hospice have partnered with local radio station Oldham Community Radio 99.7FM to bring the celebration to the airwaves.
Pat Swinborne, a volunteer at Dr. Kershaw’s Hospice, has supported the charity for a number of years through various roles, including manning the hospice reception desk and working in the charity shops.
Pat notes how thankful she is for the hospice and explains that the poignant service has aided her through the difficult times.
‘Dr. Kershaw’s Hospice means a lot to me and has given me strength when I’ve needed it,’ she says.
‘The Light Up a Life service is soothing and gives me the opportunity to remember happy memories of those I love.
‘This year, I’ll remember my brother, Jack, who died in March along with my mother, father and my beloved husband, George.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/28/hospice-in-oldhams-service-allows-memories-to-shine-bright-13666446/
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