Town procession after memorial garden blessed

Candie Cemetery to provide families and friends with a beautiful space to remember their loved ones.

The garden has panoramic views over St Peter Port and it was created to coincide with National Grief Week, which aims to shine a spotlight on the importance of talking about grief and loss.

The Rev. Matthew Barrett, rector of the Town Church, gave the blessing and then led a lantern procession down Smith Street and High Street at the beginning of the first late shopping evening.

The Hope Singers ensured it was a loud and joyful spectacle.

Passers-by stopped to watch and take photos and videos on their mobile phones and some shop staff applauded.

Mr Barrett said it was a good opportunity to raise awareness of the help and support that is available for bereaved people.

‘The blessing of the remembrance garden in Candie was really important because that garden of rest has been beautifully put together and I think it’s a very special place and will be a wonderful place for people to go and have some quiet time.

‘And it was lovely on the first late night shopping to have carols coming down through Town, I think that was nice for people who were out and about.’

At the Town Church, people were invited to light candles and write a message on the Christmas tree to remember loved ones.

Liz Pirouet-Douglas, manager of the Guernsey Bereavement Service, said we are often afraid to mention the name of the person who has died for fear of causing upset, but generally the opposite is true.

‘Christmas can be very hard and people do sometimes just cross the road to avoid a bereaved person because they don’t know what to say. We always advise to say something or do something, and we recommend to say the loved one’s name because the person who is grieving is thinking of it, and that will mean so much more to them.’

A highlight of National Grief Week is on Wednesday evening when the Bereavement Service is aiming to create a heart of 1,000 tea lights in the Sunken Gardens.