Skating Panda honoured to be supporting the first Celebration Day on 26th June, celebrating the lives of people who are no longer with us
At Skating Panda we enjoy creating campaigns to change behaviour for the better and deliver real impact. Often we work on preventing or reversing things that risk damaging the planet or harming people.
How about therefore supporting the creation of a day to celebrate those people who are no longer with us, who we’ve loved and who we miss?
A day where we can come together, open up, and share memories of others’ lives and their contributions to ours and celebrate their positive legacies.
This is what’s happening on Sunday. The inaugural Celebration Day is taking place. It’s a day for us all to pause, remember and celebrate the lives of people who are no longer with us whether they’re family, friends or people who have had a positive impact on our lives, either in our lifetimes or from previous generations. To know more about #CelebrationDay, see whose lives we are celebrating and understand how you can be a part of it, please read the following Press Release:
24, June 2022: 26th June will see the first ever ‘Celebration Day’ – a day to pause, reflect, remember and celebrate the lives of those who are no longer with us – whether they’re family, friends or people who have had a positive impact on our lives, either in our lifetimes or from previous generations. Celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Richard E Grant, Prue Leith, Lennie James, Anya Hindmarch, Dr Radha, Gemma Arterton, Harriet Walter and River Medway will be supporting the day, with some posting their own stories of how they’ll remember and celebrate important lives.
Celebration Day will be an annual event to celebrate the people who have passed on but continue to shape our own lives. It is open to everyone from everywhere, of any age, race, creed or background, whether they follow a faith or not. The day is about celebrating life and love, celebrating legacies that are positive, inspiring and enriching. Participants are encouraged to share their own stories on whose life they’ll celebrate, and how, by uploading their films and images to their own social media channels using #celebrationday.
People can celebrate in whatever way that they wish. For some, sharing thoughts and memories of that special person will be the best form of celebration, for others it could be by going on their person’s favourite walk, inviting friends and family around, cooking a favourite meal, visiting a special place or just sharing their story online.
Prue Leith said: “Celebration Day is a joyous day to remember the people who have inspired you, or whom you loved, but are no longer here. You can do this in any way you like, maybe listening to music you shared, looking through photos or simply being with friends and family and raising a toast to ‘absent friends’. Personally, I will remember my beloved brother Jamie, with a heartfelt toast to the best of brothers.”
A series of films has been created to highlight some of the stories, which appear on the Celebration Day digital and social channels. Stories include Richard E Grant, who will celebrate his late wife Jen by planting as many lupins as possible, and River Medway, who will be remembering her mother by dressing in drag.
River Medway said: “My mother has always supported my drag career and encouraged me to be whatever I wanted to be – she was at my first gig and always cheered too loudly. On Celebration Day, the best way I can celebrate my mum is through my drag – and remember her incredible ‘do whatever you want to do, don’t regret anything and just enjoy every day’ ethos.”
Anya Hindmarch said: “I love the idea of Celebration Day. As you’ll see from my film, I will be celebrating my brilliant aunt who was a great inspiration and mentor to me.”
The films also include stories from various people from all over the country, such as David Mwanaka, originally from Zimbabwe, who was the first farmer to grow white maize in the UK. David will be celebrating his late father, who taught him to be innovative and to never give up. Jo Sedley-Burke from Essex, who is Chair of charity WAY Widowed and Young, will be celebrating her late wife Paula by going to the Ritz where they had the hotel’s first lesbian civil partnership in 2006. She will be celebrating not only what they achieved as individuals, but also how far society has come along since.
The Celebration Day website will also offer ongoing grief support throughout the year. There is also a writing competition with schoolchildren aged children aged 5-18, asking them to connect with the oldest person they know, and interview them about a person who influenced them in their childhood and write a story about it.
Andy Langford, Clinical Director at Cruse Bereavement Support, said: “At Cruse, we know how crucial it is to commemorate and celebrate the death of someone close. Celebrating someone’s life is a way to remember the happiness they brought, rather than just the sadness of their death. Family and friends don’t always want to talk about the person who died but our helpline and online chat is there, so that anyone can share their stories – because we know this is such an important part of grieving. With that in mind, we are honoured to be supporting Celebration Day, to give people the time to honour and celebrate those they have lost.”
For further information, inspiration and advice on Celebration Day, head to https://celebrationday.com/