Christmas tree to remember loved ones

Following last year’s success which resulted in over 900 of The Co-operative’s funeral homes housing a memorial tree and activities raising over £13,000 for charity, the Co-operative Funeralcare in Horsham is inviting friends and family who have lost a loved one to the funeral home to decorate the tree with cards in their memory.

The Co-operative Group and British Red Cross have partnered up to help tackle loneliness and isolation across communities in the UK. Families, can if they wish, leave a small donation to support this work.

Natalie Thomas, funeral director at Horsham, explained: “Christmas can be an extremely difficult and painful time for families and this is the third year we have offered a memorial tree in honour of those no longer with us. It has always proved to be a great help for bereaved relatives and friends.

“We know that Christmas and New Year, in particular, are a time when people look back and remember those they’ve lost. We hope our memorial Christmas tree will again help families to make a tribute to their loved ones at this difficult time.”

On Thursday December 10, in line with Horsham’s late night shopping event, the East Street funeral home is open from 5pm until 9pm when people will be able to leave memorial cards on the tree and the staff will be serving mulled wine and mince pies whilst The Horsham Pleasure Singers Ladies Choir perform at 7 pm.

Report contributed by The Co-operative Funeralcare.