MIDDLEWICH residents have come together by candlelight to remember those who died during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Candlelight4christmas, was held on Tuesday, December 20, and began with a candlelit memorial walk through the centre of Middlewich, led by a piper, followed by a service of remembrance and reflection at St Michael's and All Angels Church.
The event was organised by Covid19familiesuk, a national network of support groups across the UK for anyone who lost a loved one during the pandemic, regardless of the cause of death.
Covid19familiesuk founder, Debbie Lewis, lost her father to Covid at the very beginning of the pandemic.
She said: "We host memorial events on significant dates, for example the National Day of Reflection on March 23, and at Christmas time, when we remember all those that were lost, while also giving thanks to all those who kept on going.
"Not just the nurses and the care staff, but Boots staff, food bank staff, volunteers, and those who simply looked out for vulnerable neighbours.
“A lot of people remember the ambulance staff, but they forget that the police kept on going, and the fire fighters kept going into burning buildings.
“We have thanks for all of them yesterday.”
Covid19familiesuk began when Debbie set up a Facebook support group where bereaved people could talk to one another, without breaking any lockdown rules.
Two years on, there are 45 regional groups with 5,000 bereaved members across the UK.
Debbie added: “I lost my dad, Richard ‘Barry’ Lewis, who was a Middlewich resident for more than 40 years.
“We’d only recently lost Mum, through cancer, a few months earlier. Then we lost Dad to Covid, and the lockdown restrictions had only just started.
“I began to realise that there would be lots of people, just like me, who were home alone with nobody to talk to, and grieving.
“I am really grateful to the mayors or Middlewich, Northwich, Sandbach, and Crewe for attending, as well as representatives of the blue light services, care staff from St Luke’s Hospice, and care staff from the various care homes.
“We also had a lot of support from Middlewich Town Council for their financial and practical support. They were absolutely brilliant.”
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