Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice is once again inviting people to remember and celebrate loved ones by dedicating a lantern in its Light up the Lake appeal.

The charity’s ‘beautiful and breathtaking’ appeal gives people the chance to make a personalised dedication to someone special.

Dedicate your lantern here 

As well as paying tribute in a truly unforgettable way, each dedication helps the hospice make magical memories for local children whether they have days, weeks or more together.

Each message of love will be wrapped around an environmentally friendly candle-lit lantern and cast out at Manvers Lake on Saturday 17th September at sunset.

For those who can’t make it on the night, Bluebell Wood will be recording the event so supporters can watch their dedication float out onto the lake from the comfort of their homes.

Nuala Davenport, from Chesterfield, watched her moving dedication to her courageous niece Imogen, who visits Bluebell Wood for support with a life-shortening condition, floated out onto the lake alongside hundreds of others:

‘Imogen you are a little fighter! Keep being brave! We love you, Aunty Nuala, Uncle Peter, Finn and Bump!’

Nuala can’t wait for this year’s event: “It was so beautiful and emotional and really quite breathtaking as we sat on the bank as a family and watched the spectacle unfold.”

Last year, as the sun gently set over the horizon, several rafts carried lanterns – each with a personalised dedication - onto the picturesque Manvers Lake as the onlooking crowd held tea lights aloft. The environmentally friendly lanterns were then carefully collected by the charity’s team to make sure there was no damage to the ecosystem.

Whether it’s remembering a loved one, or celebrating someone special, each dedication helps Bluebell Wood make precious memories with local children and families in the time they have together.

Families like Jody and Ben Wigful-Coy, who dedicated their light to their baby girl Beau Matilda who died in 2018.

“For us it was the perfect opportunity to be with the people we care about and remember Beau in such a beautiful and unique way,” said Jody, from Sheffield.

“It was a stunning evening and unlike anything I’ve ever been to before. It was lovely to see so many people, of all ages, remembering and celebrating others in a such a moving and poignant ceremony.

“The team at Bluebell Wood have come up with something very special, and we’d like to thank everyone who made it possible.”

Beth Cole, Events Fundraiser at Bluebell Wood, said: “It was an honour to remember and celebrate so many wonderful people for our first ever Light up the Lake event

“We’re expecting this year’s to be even bigger and better and we can’t wait to meet more of our amazing supporters.

“Whether you join for the evening, or watch the spectacle unfold from your own home, by making a dedication you’ll be helping us be a light in the darkness for local families going through the toughest times imaginable.”

Light up the Lake, sponsored by Insight UK, is returning to Manvers Lake on 17th September and everything you need to know can be found here.