By Leicester Mercury | Posted 2 July, 2018
Sportsmen Mark Selby and Alan Birchenall cut the ribbon to open a display of flowers to mark those who have died at city hospice LOROS.
The hospice, in Groby Road, Leicester, will have the display in Jubilee Square between now and Sunday.
The Forget Me Not display is made up of steel flowers each representing a loved one who passed away at Loros. They were bought for £25 each by family and friends to raise cash for the charity and more will be available for visitors to order throughout the week.
Andrew Ward from LOROS said: “Our team have been busily adding the final touches to the display.
“We have our LOROS local bus at the display all week, with a book of remembrance for people to sign and the opportunity for people to come along and find out more about what we do, and order a flower if they’d like.
“There is a large television screen in the square showing some of the emotional stories that people have shared about their loved ones and why they’ll never be forgotten.”
The display features stories like the one that Rose Pasimupindu shares about her best friend Miriam.
In the film, she said: “I will never forget my friend Miriam. We were friends for many years.
“Miriam did something that I will never forget. A few days before she died, Miriam rang me and thanked me for the role that I played in her life as a friend.
“She told me that she was ready ‘to go’ and that I was going to meet her in heaven someday. I have bought a Forget Me Not to remember her.”
Each flower has been crafted by The British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire, and measures 17cm in diameter and fits onto a 43cm iron pole.
Following the display, those who have purchased their flowers will have them boxed up in special packaging and posted to their home addresses. Alternatively, flowers can be collected from the hospice after July 10 and the hospice is open to the public from 9am until 5pm from Monday to Friday.
Loros cares for more than 2,500 people across the county every year and has 31 inpatient beds, a palliative day therapy unit, counselling for family members and various medical and complementary therapy clinics.
The hospice receives NHS funding for a proportion of its costs, which leaves £5 million annually for Loros to raise.
The flowers can be purchased online on the LOROS website here.
