Light Up a Life with Phyllis Tuckwell
Local hospice care charity Phyllis Tuckwell is inviting anyone who would like to remember a loved one, to come along to its Light up a Life service, which will take place outside Guildford Cathedral on Sunday 10th December, at 7.45pm.
Light up a Life is held every year in the lead up to Christmas, to remember loved ones who have died, and to offer comfort and support to their friends and family at what can be a difficult time. The service will include readings and carols, and the image of a Christmas tree will be projected onto the front of the Cathedral building. During the service the lights on the tree will be ‘switched on’, in memory of those who have died.
Anyone who would like to can also make a dedication in memory of their loved one. Their loved one’s name will be projected onto the front of Guildford Cathedral after the service, until 10.30pm that evening. It will also be printed in the Order of Service, which will be given out that evening, and published on Phyllis Tuckwell’s website, where it can be downloaded. The service and dedications are open to everyone, whether their loved one was cared for by Phyllis Tuckwell or not.
If you would like to make a dedication, please visit www.pth.org.uk/lual. Please note that all dedications must be made by Friday 24th November in order to be included in the Order of Service and the Cathedral projection. Alternatively, you can dedicate a virtual star in Phyllis Tuckwell’s online night sky, at www.pth.org.uk/lual.
If you are unable to attend the service, you can watch the live stream at www.pth.org.uk/lual2023.
“Christmas can be a time when we feel our loved one’s absence even more than usual,” said Maria Abellan, patient, family & carer support team manager at Phyllis Tuckwell. “Our Light up a Life service offers a poignant way for people to come together to remember and celebrate their loves ones’ lives, and we do hope that you are able to attend. As the service will be held outside, please do wrap up warmly and bring a torch.”
Light up a Life is kindly being sponsored by Right at Home. The Light up a Life service is being held at the Cathedral this year as Phyllis Tuckwell is currently building a new, larger, state-of-the-art Hospice on its existing site in Farnham, to enable it to care for more people who need its support. Construction should be complete to enable Phyllis Tuckwell to move into the new Hospice by January 2026.
For more information on Light up a Life, please visit www.pth.org.uk/lual2023
About Phyllis Tuckwell
Phyllis Tuckwell provides supportive and end of life care for adult patients and families living with an advanced or terminal illness (such as cancer, heart, lung or neurological disease) in West Surrey and North-East Hampshire, an area of 550,000 residents.
Every day we support over 250 patients, relatives and carers, through a mix of medical and nursing care, therapies, counselling, social work advice and practical support. We are currently building a new state-of-the-art Hospice on our existing site in Farnham, which will enable us to care for more people who need our support. During the project, we will continue to offer our specialist services, from alternative locations. Our In-Patient Unit will be temporarily relocated to a new 10-room wing at Kings Lodge care home in Camberley; our community support will be managed by our community teams working from the Beacon Centre in Guildford and a temporary office facility at Headway House in Farnham, where our support staff will also be located for the duration of the build. Outpatient appointments and Living Well sessions will continue to run at the Beacon Centre.
Annually, the NHS/Government usually only covers about 20% of our costs, which means we have to raise over £25,000 a day to be able to offer all our services, free of charge, to our patients and their families. We therefore rely heavily on the support and generosity of our local community.