HEART OF ENGLAND CO-OPERATIVE FUNERAL SERVICES HELPS CLIENTS REMEMBER LOVED ONES WITH MEMORIAL TREES

Grieving families across Coventry, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and south Leicestershire are once again being given the chance to remember their loved ones this Christmas by placing personal tributes on dedicated memorial trees.

The invitation comes from the Heart of England Co-operative Society’s Funeral Services Division which has placed the trees at funeral homes across the trading area.

The Society has written to client families inviting them to compose a message on a tag to hang on a memorial Christmas tree at any one of its funeral homes.

It is the sixth year running the Heart of England Co-operative Society has organised the scheme.

Joy Rowe, from the Heart of England Co-operative Society, with one of the Society’s memorial trees.

Darryl Smith, General Manager Funeral Division, said trees were a popular way for people to pay tribute to a loved one. Client families who have used the Society over the past year were due to receive an invitation to take part in the scheme.

Families or individuals can return the tag through the post or visit the funeral home and hang their tag in person.

He said: "Since we launched our memorial tree scheme it has proven extremely popular among our client families. It is our way of saying to them that we are thinking of them. The feedback we receive on this every year is tremendous - it is growing in popularity every year.

"Our Christmas trees are always welcomed by the families. They say it is a fitting tribute and it really helps them.”

The first person to bring a Christmas tree into a house is believed to have been the 16th century German preacher Martin Luther.

According to the story, one night before Christmas, he was walking through a forest and looked up to see the stars shining though the tree branches.

It was so beautiful that he went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas.

Mr Smith added: "The grieving process can last for a year and beyond, and by marking a person’s death, the memory of them remains alive.

"This can be a real comfort for the person who is grieving. It also provides assurances that their loved ones are not forgotten.

“Remembering the dead can take many forms, such as lighting a candle, planting a tree or a rose bush, or a bench in the park.

“Marking a person’s death is a tribute to them and it is saying that although you are no longer here, we will remember you."