Families from across the region joined together at Lichfield Cathedral on Sunday (9th December) for the popular annual Light up a Life service.

The moving service – which invited local people to remember the life of someone special to them who is no longer with us – was organised by St Giles Hospice, which cares for local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Those there to celebrate the life of a loved one were sent a special card of acknowledgement, and the names of those being remembered were recorded in a Book of Remembrance, which will be available to view at the hospice throughout the year.

Central to the service – which in addition to Lichfield were also held in Cannock, Sutton Coldfield and Burton-on-Trent – was a tree featuring lights symbolising the lives of those being remembered, that were switched on during the service.

Peter Holliday, Chief Executive of St Giles Hospice says: “Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for those who have lost someone special.

“Our ‘Light up a Life’ services provide the opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who are no longer with us. Our grateful thanks go to all those who came along.”

St Giles Hospice is a registered charity offering high-quality medical and nursing care for people with cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as providing support for their families and carers.

Patients come from across the hospice’s catchment area, which ranges from Ashby de la Zouch and Atherstone in the east, to Cannock and Walsall in the west – and from Burton and Uttoxeter in the north, to Sutton Coldfield and Coleshill in the south.

Care is offered at the hospice's facilities in Sutton Coldfield and Whittington between Lichfield and Tamworth, or in patients' own homes across the region.

St Giles spends over £5million every year providing its specialist services. With just a third of this funded by the Government, the registered charity relies heavily on donations and fundraising.