A SPECIAL church service held at Tavistock Methodist Church for people who lost a loved one during the past year helped raise more than £2,000 for local children's charity 'Jeremiah's Journey". S J Backwell Funeral Services realised that the first Christmas after losing someone could often be the hardest time for the newly-bereaved. So the firm decided to do something to let those people know they weren't on their own, and organised a special remembrance service. With the help of the Rev Jeff Moles, the S J Backwell funeral team began to work on the structure of the service and sent written invitations to the families they had helped during the year, offering them the opportunity to come to church for the unique remembrance occasion. The response was excellent and on Thursday December 14 more than 100 people attended the service, comfortably filling Tavistock Methodist Church. A few tears were shed as loved ones were remembered, and with the warmth radiated among the congregation, the kind words and prayers of the clergy and the singing of the choir, those who attended described it as a remarkable and moving occasion. And it was a double success for all those involved as on the night a retiring collection in aid of Jeremiah's Journey, the local children's charity which helps support children experiencing bereavement, helped raise £2,077. Daren Young, funeral director at S J Backwell Funeral Services said: 'Last year we organised the very first of these events, and it was so well supported that we felt it was very much the right thing to do so we just had to do it again this year. 'And again we were amazed by the generosity of our local community who joined us, and delighted to discover that along with colleague funeral directors in Callington and Plymouth, they had helped raise such a sum for a wonderful cause. 'The true spirit of Christmas is very much evident and we thought they would all like to know how generous they had been.' Daren thanked all those involved in organising and supporting the event, especially Denis Jeffrey and everyone who attended, and for all their positive comments, saying how it had been such a great benefit and comfort to them, many of whom stayed on afterwards to enjoy the refreshments. The event was sponsored by S J Backwell Funeral Services, and fully supported by the local clergy.
