21 March 2022
This week marks the second anniversary of the first national lockdown. The events listed below offer an opportunity for us to pause, reflect and remember the lives of the people we’ve lost during the coronavirus pandemic.
23 March: National Day of Reflection at Chelmsford Cathedral
Everyone is welcome to join Chelmsford Cathedral for a special day of reflection as we pause to acknowledge the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on each one of us and remember those we have lost.
The Cathedral grounds will be open throughout the day and from 10am to 4pm and the Salvation Army will be on hand to provide refreshments and a listening ear. At midday there will be an opportunity to pause together to take part in the national minutes silence and share a short service of remembrance in the gardens led by the Salvation Army band and Cathedral music scholars.
A second service will take place at 7pm in the Cathedral attended by the Mayor of Chelmsford and other community leaders. This service will end just before 8pm when the congregation will take part in a second act of remembrance organised by Marie Curie to light a candle on your doorstep or windowsill.
Throughout the day there will be the chance to light a candle in the Cathedral’s memorial garden and members of the public are invited to write the name of a much-missed loved-one on a postcard, to leave in the memorial space. These cards will be made into a Wall of Remembrance at a later date. Specially designed and printed prayer cards will also be available to take home.
The Dean of Chelmsford, the Very Revd Nicholas Henshall says:
The last two years have been difficult for everyone, and this is an opportunity for the community to come together to reflect on what has passed and to look forward to the future. The Cathedral is delighted to be at the heart of this community day.”
For more details visit the Chelmsford Cathedral website.
23 March: Quiet Day at The Diocesan House of Retreat, Pleshey
The Very Revd Nicholas Henshall, the Dean of Chelmsford, will be leading a quiet day at the Chelmsford Diocesan House of Retreat on the National Day of Reflection, 23 March, 9.30am – 4pm. For more details and to book, email retreathouse@chelmsford.anglican.org or visit the Retreat House website.
26 March: Commemoration – Remembering and Celebrating the Loves, Lives and Losses of the Last Two Years at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester
A varied programme of activities and live performances, culminating in a concert to commemorate the lives, loves and losses of the pandemic, will take place at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester. The event will bring people together to remember those who passed away during the pandemic and thank all those who helped support those suffering from Covid and the families who lost loved ones.
The commemoration is being produced by the Mercury Theatre in partnership with Colchester Borough Council and developed with the Right Reverend Roger Morris, the Bishop of Colchester, alongside the High Steward of Colchester Sir Bob Russell, the Hunnaball Family Funeral Group, and the Colchester Garrison.
Special events will take place outside the theatre throughout the day, ahead of the evening concert. Activities, which begin at 12noon and run until 4pm, include the planting of 15,000 snowdrops, on a green space between the theatre and Roman Wall; live band performances, and a board for people to pin reflections and messages.
The event will be live streamed via Colchester Borough Council’s YouTube channel.
Find out more at www.colchester.gov.uk.
