This service, attended by about 80 people celebrated the lives of those dear family members and friends who were no longer with us. The service was led by Gillian Kern and Simon Stranks and was a very simple but moving one with poignant readings from Julius of Norwich and Cardinal Basil Hume. The service began with a reading of the Song of Solomon (2: 10-17), a moving tribute to a loved one:
My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely”.
The centre piece of the service was when relatives and friends came forward to place a white carnation into a cross and then light a candle.
Once the flowers had been placed into the cross and the candles lit then Simon Stranks read out the names of those being remembered. Following the service people stayed behind to enjoy refreshments, including excellent chocolate biscuits, and to meet up with friends and neighbours.
