Aberystwyth Cemetery & Crematorium is inviting people to take part in its annual Christmas Carol and Memorial Service.

The festive gathering provides a valuable opportunity for families and friends to come together and remember their loved ones in the run up to Christmas, a time when people can particularly feel their losses.

The service, on Friday 15 December, will run for about an hour from 6pm and will include a selection of readings and popular Christmas Carols. Refreshments will be available. 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 and will also be able to light candles The service will include a photo slideshow and if you would like a photo of your loved one to be included, please email their photo to [email protected] by Tuesday, 12 December, using the heading “Christmas Service Photo Slideshow”.

Visitors will also be able to post cards, letters and messages in the crematorium’s Letters to Loved Ones memorial post box, which was installed earlier this year as another way for the bereaved to feel a connection with their loved ones. Cards and pens will be provided prior and after the service.

Aberystwyth Cemetery & Crematorium is part of Westerleigh Group, one of the UK’s largest independent owners-operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 40 sites across England, Scotland and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.

Manager Rachel Harrison said: “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.

“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.

“We know, from feedback we’ve had in previous years, that the service brings some solace and peace to people at this time of year.

“Our Christmas carol service is open for anyone and everyone who lives, works or who is visiting the communities surrounding our crematorium in leading up to Christmas. Everyone is welcome.”

Those who are unable to attend on the night but wish to view the service as a live webcast should visit https://events.obitus.com/, enter the username ‘aberystwyth’ and the password ‘star'.

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 Tuesday 19 December, for 28 days.

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