National Memorial Service

By Katie Randall-Stratton

Jools and I, along with some family, attended the Sands Remembrance Service on Saturday 15th June 2013 at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire. We arrived early so looked round the Sands Garden, spotting a Swindon Sands pebble along the lined Path of Remembrance. The garden was beautiful with a Portland stone sculpture complete with teardrop, and lovely new curved oak benches. It was very calming although it did try raining a little.

At 2pm we were welcomed in the extremely full Millennium Chapel and a candle was lit to remember all our babies. We sang two hymns, and listened to a reading, a prayer, four poems, plus an amazing rendition of ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’.  As you can imagine there were a lot of tears. While we were sat in the chapel the heavens opened but luckily stopped for the last part of the service – a blessing in the garden.  At the end they wanted everyone to take away a plant and had lots over so ‘Zachary’s Garden’ (a section of our new garden dedicated to him) now has quite a few Sands plants growing nicely! Before we left we both marked up a pebble in Zachary’s name and put them with his Swindon friends.  Attending the service definitely helped a little on our journey of grief.