Surrey and East Hampshire residents join Day of Reflection

Marie Curie's organised a series of events across the the UK

Published 3rd Mar 2024

Marie Curie is leading the nation in a UK-wide Day of Reflection today- which Surrey and East Hampshire residents are getting involved with.

The charity wants people to set aside time to primarily remember loved ones who died during the pandemic, but also anyone else who people have lost at any time.

Research shows how almost half of people say they are still very much coming to terms with their grief (47%) and over a third (39%) state they would benefit from support in dealing with their grief caused by the seismic event.

Over half (51%) of respondents who experienced a bereavement during the pandemic agree that by bringing the nation together to take a moment to reflect, remember the people who died and show support to those who were bereaved will help the healing process.

Marie Curie has published resources to support people and organisations wanting to host an event as part of the Day of Reflection, and for individuals to observe the day:

• An events map at dayofreflection.org.uk to find local events (and register your own)

• A downloadable petal to share the name of someone you’re remembering on social media

• Bereavement support for anyone who needs, available from the charity’s support line

Ash Balachandran - from the Surrey branch of the charity said:

"The day itself is just for everyone to stop and think about their loved ones who died during the pandemic.

"For many of us, we haven't seen this loss since the war - so it was the most loss we've seen in our lifetimes.

"Today is all about taking stock of the losses we've experienced and crucially showing support for people who were bereaved and are still going through that bereavement journey."

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