LEWIS-Manning Hospice Care’s is ‘blown away’ by community support for ‘Candles on the Lake’ raising over £8k. 

Saturday October 15 saw the return of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s annual free community event, ‘Candles on the Lake’, hosted at The Ark in Poole Park.

The "magical" event saw over 1,000 candles released into the lake.

The incredible local community came together to reflect, celebrate and remember the lives of loved ones, by donating for a candle which was floated on the lake.

Supporters had the option to pre-register for a candle or donate on the night and most people took the opportunity to add a personal message to their candle at the dedication station inside The Ark.

The team from Rockley Watersports did an incredible job of releasing over 1,000 candles onto the lake, despite the challenging weather conditions, to create a magical display of floating lights.

In honour of Queen Elizabeth II, the first candle released was a special purple light dedicated to Her Majesty and shone proudly on the lake.

Fundraising Manager Vicki Gray said: “Our supporters and community are amazing! Despite the unsettled weather conditions, over three thousand people came to support our ‘Candles on the Lake’ event and waited patiently whilst we adapted our method to float the candles safely in the strong winds.

“It was very much a family orientated evening with lots of children attending with their parents and grandparents to remember loved ones no longer with us.

“There’s something very magical about seeing the lights floating in the dark, but more than that, there was a real sense of emotion and community spirit that filled the air.

“The event raised over £8,000 which will go towards funding our Bereavement and Family Support service, as well as other vital hospice care and support to patients and their families, from diagnosis of a life-limiting illness, through to end of life and bereavement."

All candles were floated safely onto the lake, so as not to affect plants and wildlife in the area.  All the flameless candles were collected at the end of the evening by dedicated volunteers to ensure there was no litter and will also be reused for subsequent years.