Families, friends and colleagues have joined together in Cardiff for a special lights show where they were supported to ‘light up the lives’ of the ones they miss.
More than 200 guests including the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Cardiff and Lady Mayoress Councillor Graham Hinchey and Mrs Anne Hinchey, families and members of the community enjoyed a series of special performances by local ensembles and musicians.
Every year City Hospice invites supporters to remember and celebrate lives of loved ones during their Light up a Life campaign. This includes attending events like its annual Remembrance Service and, new for this year, the Christmas at Bute Park festive performance and light trail.
Cardiff Male Voice Choir and Y Gerddorfa Ukelele Gymreig took part in the event, in addition to harpist Benjamin Creighton Griffiths and Rock Choir both of whom had supported the charity earlier in the year during their Forever Flowers campaign.
Following the festive performances, supporters followed the award-winning 1.4km light trail through the grounds of Bute Park.
Rock Choir also braved the cold evening to provide a festive performance at the end of the light trail.
Whilst Christmas can be a joyous time for most people, for those dealing with the loss of a loved one, it can be an incredibly difficult time. City Hospice’s takeover with Christmas at Bute Park offered the community of Cardiff the opportunity to come together and enjoy this magical light trail whilst holding the memories of their loved ones close.
Liz Booyse, Chief Executive of City Hospice, said: “Whilst Christmas is a joyous time for most, for those dealing with the loss of a loved one it can be incredibly difficult. We are honoured to be a charity partner of Christmas at Bute Park this year and worked closely with them to hold this exclusive event to give families affected by bereavement the space to enjoy this amazing experience whilst still holding the loved ones they have lost close.”
As part of its partnership with Christmas at Bute Park, City Hospice volunteers were also on hand for bucket donations from visitors to the trail too, with all proceeds raised during its Light up a Life campaign set to go twice as far thanks to match funding from The Hodge Foundation.
This year, the event is also providing complimentary tickets to at least 30 charitable groups, and also working closely with AP Cymru and City Hospice as its key charity partners to make the experience as magical and meaningful as it can, for as many people as it can.
Roxy Robinson, Creative Director at From The Fields, the team behind Christmas at Bute Park, said: “We feel really honoured as a team to have played a really small role in facilitating such a poignant gathering, which means so much to many people, and really delighted that the hard work we’ve put in to creating the wider Christmas at Bute Park event has been of use in such a meaningful way.
“Following confirmation that our event is set to stay in Cardiff city centre for at least another three years, we want to make sure that our support for local communities continues to grow, as it has done already since we first opened our doors in 2021, and our work with City Hospice is one of the many ways we are doing just that.”
“The work City Hospice does to support families is so important – not just at Christmas but whenever they need them – to those relying on their services, and we are really thankful to have been given the opportunity to support them in this way,” Roxy added.
Since December 1st, Bute Park has been taken over by a stunning array of festive lasers, neon trees and flame-lit light installations that will remain open to visitors until January 1st.
