Christmas service at Great Glen Crematorium for families and friends to come together and remember their loved ones

The festive gathering on Friday December 16 provides an opportunity for families and friends to come together and remember their loved ones in the run up to Christmas.

The service will be made available online for people who cannot make it.

The service runs between 6pm and 8pm and will include a mixture of readings and popular Christmas Carols. It will also feature a group of local handbell ringers, The Rutland Musical Theatre Group. Refreshments will be available after the service.

It is free to attend and no advance booking is required.

Visitors will be able to write messages to their loved ones on tags which will be added to a memory tree.

The service will include a photo slideshow and anyone who plans to attend can send a photo of their loved one to be included in the slideshow.

Photos should be emailed to [email protected] by Friday December 2 using the heading 'Christmas Service Photo Slideshow'.

Site Manager Aleksandra Harris said: “Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of year for families who are missing loved ones, and our annual Christmas Carol and Memorial Service provides a fitting way for people to reflect and honour their loved ones during the festive season.

“For some, especially if they are quite recently bereaved, the festive period is often a time when they feel their loss more, and people can feel lonely.

“This service provides a chance for people to not only pay tribute to their loved ones but also be in the company of other people who are in a similar situation, which in itself can be a source of comfort.”

“Whether people are attending here in person, or viewing the service online, we know, from feedback we’ve had in previous years, that the service brings some solace and peace to local people at this time of year.”

Those who wish to view the service as a live webcast should visit https://events.obitus.com/, enter the username ‘greatglen’ and the password ‘snow’.

For those not able to watch it live, or those who attend but who would like to see it again, the service will be available to view online as a ‘watch again’ option, using the same details above, from Monday December 19, for 28 days.

For more information, visit www.greatglencrem.co.uk