Cardiff-based Coles Funeral Directors showed its support for Marie Curie in marking the UK National Day of Reflection by hosting a community-focused event at its Birchgrove funeral home.
Created as a day to remember loved one’s lost, support those who are grieving, and encourage connection within the community, the National Day of Reflection (23 March) returned for a third year.
Grief and bereavement will impact nearly all of us during our lifetime, with millions impacted by it right now. Figures from ONS show that in 2022, over half a million deaths were recorded in England and Wales alone. For every death, it’s estimated that an average of five people will be deeply affected, meaning around 2.5 million people will be feeling the impact. Research from Marie Curie shows that the pain of grief can be more acute when grieving alone, as many of us were forced to do during the pandemic, which is why the charity was keen to encourage communities to come together, showing love and compassion through a series of events held across the country.
Family-run business, Coles Funeral Directors, was eager to get involved in Cardiff. Having spent the last few weeks collecting photo and memory submissions from the local community, Coles Funeral Directors unveiled its ‘Wall of Reflection’ in its Birchgrove funeral home to commemorate loved ones lost at its event last week.
Speaking of their support, Gareth Coles, managing director of Coles Funeral Directors said: “We’re proud to support Marie Curie’s National Day of Reflection, bringing together our community to help create a supportive network for those living with grief and bereavement. Dealing with loss is difficult enough in itself, but dealing with this alone can feel isolating and near impossible.”
As a result, as well as taking the time to acknowledge and reflect on their loss through their submissions, members of the community were also encouraged to connect with others going through a similar experience.
Gareth continued: “We’re with our community every step of the way of their bereavement journey. We don’t believe that our support should end as soon as the funeral is over and we’ve worked to create an offering through our Bereavement Hub that meets that need. With advice around bereavement support, a library of resources, an education programme for the next generation, and also carefully selected charity partners and initiatives just like this one, we see our Hub as an essential part of our service. So we hope that our community finds the comfort and support they need through events like these. Thank you to everyone who came along and got involved.”
Charli Thomas, Corporate Fundraising Lead for Wales with Marie Curie said: “We’re grateful to the team at Coles Funeral Directors for showing their support for our National Day of Reflection. Among organisations taking part in 2023 are charities, faith groups, schools, corporates and beyond. We hope the day will be seen as inspiring, supportive, and healing for millions of people across the UK.”