Hundreds of people gathered as the sun set over the east coast this evening to remember special people at the end of Suffolk Day 2018.
Suffolk Remembers, organised by St Elizabeth Hospice, saw people come together to light 4,000 candles to celebrate and remember loved ones and support the charity which offers care, free of charge, to local people, and their families, living with a progressive or terminal illness.
The event was hosted by BBC Radio Suffolk’s Wayne Bavin with performances by Pop Chorus, including a emotional rendition of their hospice charity single ‘Always’, and Martlesham Brass, who played moving pieces including Nimrod. Poignant poems were also read by local people including school children.
Pauline Donkin, individual giving manager for St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “We held an intimate event last year as part of Suffolk Day and people really appreciated the opportunity to do something to remember those that make Suffolk truly special – our people.
“This year we made the even more prominent; giving people the opportunity to light a candle and places them on our boards to spell out Suffolk Remembers. As the sun went down and the candles started to glow, the sight of the words in the seafront gardens at Felixstowe was incredible. People were also sharing their stories of those they were there to celebrate and remember; a lovely way to bring Suffolk Day to a close.”
The opportunity to dedicate a candle as part of Suffolk Remembers is still open as the boards will be on display in the seafront gardens until Monday 25 June. Simply choose a candle that doesn’t have a name on it and pop in to the Spa Pavilion which has a donation bucket and a pen for you to write the name of the person you would like to remember on.