Hundreds join together to celebrate life

Hundreds of people from Cardiff and beyond united in remembrance at a special event organised by leading charity City Hospice as part of their Forever Flowers campaign.

Over 700 people attended the free Celebration of Life event at Cardiff Castle on 10 August among the daisies that they had dedicated to cherished family members, friends, colleagues and loved ones. The daisy display was created by City Hospice, inspired by designs from the art psychotherapists in the charity’s counselling team.

Hosted by the charity’s Chief Executive Liz Booyse, the evening included a poetry reading by one of City Hospice’s social workers and performances by local harpist Sam Hickman and the Rock Choir formed of members from across south Wales.

Members of the community, including patients and families, spoke passionately about their experiences of City Hospice’s specialist palliative care and wider service offering, the importance of the charity’s work across the city and what the Forever Flowers campaign, now in its third year, means to them.

Among the speakers was palliative care patient Amy-Claire Lanman who has an incurable degenerative disease and has been under the care of City Hospice for nine years.

Amy-Claire said: “The work City Hospice does to support and care for patients like me, and families like mine, is immeasurably important. They provide medical and clinical care, practical support, counselling, and help with things like navigating applying for benefits, as well as bringing people facing similar challenges together to build a wonderful community.

“City Hospice’s incredible service supports both myself and my family to live the fullest and happiest life for as long as possible, whilst knowing that all this can change in a heartbeat. One of the most important things that City Hospice has done is to help me see the beauty in ordinary things; to see the daisies that so many of us so often take for granted.

“Whilst I am sorry we are all here because of our loss, I am glad that such a wonderful group of people can come together to celebrate life; life that has been, life that will be, and the wonderful, ordinary life we are all living right now.”

Liz Booyse, Chief Executive of City Hospice, said: “It was incredibly moving to see the community join together for our celebration of life. An evening of music, sharing stories and remembering with joy, we celebrated the lives of loved ones, represented by the daisies in our Forever Flowers display, together.

“We would like to thank everyone who attended, as well as those who performed and contributed during the event to make it such a special occasion for all to enjoy.”

The award-winning Forever Flowers campaign provides people with an opportunity to come together to remember and celebrate the lives of loved ones with a unique and lasting tribute.

Forever Flowers supports the work of City Hospice, the only provider of home-based specialist palliative care in the capital. In addition to providing care and services including welfare advice and complementary therapies to patients with terminal or life limiting illnesses, the charity offers counselling and support services for their patients’ families.