City Hospice, Cardiff’s local hospice, brought the community together in a moving Celebration of Life event at Cardiff Castle on 7 August, as part of its Forever Flowers campaign.
Forever Flowers, now in its fifth year, is an award-winning ‘in memory’ campaign which provides an opportunity for people to come together and remember family members, friends, colleagues and loved ones with a unique and lasting tribute. This year’s Forever Flower is the daffodil, Wales’ national flower, which for many symbolises hope, resilience and new beginnings.
Working in partnership with DEPOT Live, City Hospice delivered another memorable Celebration of Life event, providing a safe space for over 600 supporters to unite and honour the lives of loved ones in the charity’s largest celebration to date.
Speakers during the evening included Dr Liz Booyse, Chief Executive of City Hospice; Janet Davies, High Sheriff of South Glamorgan; Faye Russell-Jones, Clinical Nurse Specialist for Day Hospice and Wellbeing Services; Katie Vaughan, Senior Community Fundraiser at City Hospice; Don Wilkes, a supporter and fundraiser; and Roger Bidnell, a volunteer at the charity.
Taking to the DEPOT Live stage, harpist Rhiannon Dutt and a super choir, formed of members of Rock Choir ensembles from across south Wales, also performed at the event. The Wish Ambulance, which helps people near the end of their life to have a meaningful journey, completed their 100th journey at the event, enabling a patient of the hospice to join and perform with the super choir.
Dr Liz Booyse, Chief Executive at City Hospice, said: “The Celebration of Life is a significant moment during our Forever Flowers displays and, in our fifth year, it was wonderful to see a record number of people come together to remember the lives of loved ones we’ve lost.
“The striking display of our daffodils formed the perfect backdrop for this collective celebration and we are immensely grateful to DEPOT, who generously support us as their charity of the year, for providing us with such magnificent staging. We would also like to extend our thanks to our performers, speakers and every single person who joined us for this incredibly special event.”
Janet Davies, High Sheriff of South Glamorgan, added: “City Hospice cares for its community and this is abundantly clear during occasions such as its Forever Flowers display and Celebration of Life. I was delighted to be able to participate in this event and join hundreds of others amongst the daffodils to remember and celebrate cherished loved ones.”
Forever Flowers supports the work of City Hospice, the only provider of home-based specialist palliative care in Cardiff. The charity provides care and a wide range of services including welfare advice and complementary therapies to patients with terminal or life limiting illnesses, as well as bereavement support and counselling for the families of its patients.
Forever Flowers is sponsored by Rogers Jones Auctioneers and supported by Cardiff Rugby, Eversheds Sutherland, Keen Insurance, McLays, Premier Forest Products and Wales & West Housing.
