On Saturday 21 September, over three hundred people gathered together on the banks of the canal in Exeter to walk in memory of their loved ones.
The ‘In Memory’ event was held at The Double Locks, a perfectly tranquil and tucked away setting for an evening of remembrance and togetherness.
After gathering at The Double Locks, the 380 people who attended walked alongside the canal as dusk fell and returned to find a raft of glowing candles, each one lit in memory of someone special.
With every person in attendance remembering a lost loved one, the event created a safe and open space to share memories and feelings, as well as just being able to listen to the wonderful music by The Wyndham Singers and reflect quietly on their memories.
It was a truly special evening and one that we at Hospiscare will treasure.
We are very grateful to the help and support that our charity received in order create this first Candles on the Canal event; without it, the event would not have been possible.
Thank you to Phil and the whole team at The Double Locks for making us so welcome and generously donating the perfect venue.
Thank you also to The Wyndham Singers, including Pippa Searle, for singing before, during and after the event; their choice of songs and beautiful voices created a lovely atmosphere. We were so fortunate to have Duncan Nelmes, The Hospiscare Choir and Des Gardiner perform around the route to entertain the walkers and those passing by.
The beautiful flowers that decorated the marquee were kindly donated by Trugs Florist and arranged by Ann and Jude; thank you to you all.
We would like to send a huge thank you to Victoria Graham for lending us her lovely voice for the introduction of the memory presentation. It was truly touching to have her presence at the event.
We are always overwhelmed by the commitment that our volunteers show our charity and this event was no different as over fifty volunteers were on hand to ensure that the evening ran smoothly.
Finally, thank you to the 380 people who attended the event and walked in memory of their loved ones.
Because of the support that Candles on the Canal received, we will be holding this ‘In Memory’ event next year and hope to see some familiar faces, as well as new ones, so that together we can remember those that are no longer with us.
