COVID-19's grieving families spur Shine a Light tribute

With the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the UK now topping 34,000, hearts go out to all those who have lost loved ones.

A nationwide tribute to those who have died has been set up by a group of UK charities which works on the frontline with bereavement, loss and trauma.

The organisations are calling on the nation to join them every Saturday at 9pm in holding up a phone torch or a candle for a minute at a window or outside their door to honour the lives lost during the pandemic.

A statement from Body and Soul, one of the charities supporting the initiative, said: “We hold pride in our frontline key workers and alongside this we hold the sadness and sorrow for our friends, neighbours and community.

“As key workers have needed a sense of support, isolated families need this just as much. Now is the time for us to galvanise communities through a united response to express our grief and loss as a nation.

"This crisis is an unprecedented health emergency that the country is struggling to cope with on all fronts, but is also a crisis of bereavement on a societal scale."

The ‘Shine a Light’ initiative is supported by Child Bereavement UK, At A Loss, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, Simon Says child bereavement support, The Compassionate Friends, Open Age, Sane, The Hospice Biographers, Winston’s Wish giving hope to bereaved children, Bromley By Bow Centre and The Survivors Trust.

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