What our Remembrance Fund means to us
Colin's story
“When my darling wife, Gladys, passed away I knew that I needed to do something to perpetuate her memory. Simply writing her name in a Book of Remembrance didn’t satisfy a need, a need that I cannot easily describe.
“I was lucky to have had the support of an Admiral Nurse while Gladys was alive and knew I wanted to support Dementia UK, the charity that trains, develops and supports them. I was told about Remembrance pages and, after looking into it, I set one up.
“In developing the page, I discovered just how much it was helping me to cope with the loss of the truest love of my life. I brought the family on board and, like me, they found the Remembrance page very comforting. One thing I so desperately needed to do was to pay the kind of Tribute that Gladys deserved and her Remembrance page serves the purpose perfectly.
“It’s a wonderful thing to be able to attach precious photographs, memories, thoughts of the moment. I can also light a candle that is there for my family to see anytime they care to look. All of our family have added photographs, memories, special stories of Mum or Grandma. The Remembrance page has achieved for me the unique and beautiful feature that the memory of Gladys will live on and that current and hopefully future generations can look at the website to see who she was.
“The loss of my wife has been heart-breaking but when I’m feeling down-hearted I look at the Remembrance page and smile at the treasure house of memories. I have a wonderfully supportive family and group of friends who are there when I need them, however, the Remembrance page is very personal and I feel very close to Gladys when I’m reading through it. I sincerely hope that other bereaved families may find the same level of comfort in their Remembrance page.”
Andree's story
“My dad spent ten weeks in hospital in 2017, where I met an Admiral Nurse, Pam, who made sure those caring for him were aware of his dementia and his needs. This meant he wasn’t moved around to different wards and the staff got to know him. She gave me practical and emotional support too. Pam is a fantastic Admiral Nurse and made a lasting impression on me.
“I set up a Remembrance page in memory of my Dad, Alan, when he died in March 2018 to raise donations for Dementia UK in his memory.
“Dad was very independent and capable, learning to use the internet in later life. He designed, made and printed all his own Christmas and birthday cards on his computer.
“He was also a skilled videographer. It was so sad when vascular dementia took away his speech and his ability to operate his computer. That said, I consider myself lucky that dad retained the essence of himself right up to the last few weeks of his life, communicating pleasure at seeing me through facial gestures and occasional words.
“Having a close relative with dementia is a unique and difficult experience and one that I was certainly unprepared for. Support for those with dementia and their families is very important – so do keep up the good work at Dementia UK!”
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