Candle Lit Vigil on Angel Hill for Ukraine

Last night, “We Love Bury St Edmunds!” held a Candle Lit Vigil on Angel Hill in Bury St Edmunds to show our solidarity and send a light of hope to Ukraine.

The event took just under 2 weeks to organise, by myself and friends, Katie Parker, Donna Higgins and Diane Hind.

I was overwhelmed at the turnout and the support shown by residents and Pastor Mathew Jolley and The Very Reverend Joe Hawes Dean of St Edmundsbury who both spoke very movingly. Their presence was much appreciate and helped me to take a break in between maintaining a running order!

7.30pm Setting up
MADIS – Sea of Tranquility 1 MADIS – Sea of Tranquility 2 MADIS – Sea of Tranquility 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDZk8dXvDHU

Thank yous also to, Charlie & Tanya Althorne at No 5 Angel Hill Wine & Coffee House providing us with hot drinks – all funds going towards Ukranian Humantarian Charities

Thank you to Katie Parker who has helped me set this up and thanks also to Donna Higgins and Diane Hind for their sage advice.

Taxi Driver Rob Dorling donating taxi fayres this evening

Collections being taken by Luna House, Zero Incorporated are donating 10% of their sales, Bohemia Bury are donating a pound for every spend.
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Thank you also to Pastor Mathew Jolley from the Bury St Edmunds Presbyterian Church
Canon David Bagstaff – St Edmunds Catholic Church
The Reverend Jason Vineyard – Methodist Church
The Reverend Canon Philip Banks
The Dean of St Edmundsbury – The Very Reverend Joe Hawes

Also thank you to Terry Chittock for the LIVE video feed to We Love Bury St Edmunds! and to Abbott Photography whose photos have been used in the article.

Our hearts go out to all of those suffering the mass displacement of the citizens and the pain they are feeling at seeing their beautiful cities being mindlessly destroyed. Also seeing their loved ones having to fight for their lands and being killed for wanting to live in peace.

In 2016 I visited Stockholm. I met a lady there who told me this…
When strangers are coming
They come to your house
They kill you all
and say
We’re not guilty, not guilty

Her name is Jamala and she was representing her country Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest.
The song was called 1944, about the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, in the 1940s, by the Soviet Union at the hands of Stalin because of their alleged collaboration with the Nazis.
Jamalas grandmother was a Crimean Tartar, who witnessed these times and experienced the heartache of being forcibly removed from her homeland.
The song, 1944 sung by Jamala won the contest and it is a powerful reminder to of what happened then, and what is happening now

I am reminded of Edmund and how he stood against the invading Vikings and how his faith gave him strength

The Dean – The Very Reverend Joe Hawes
followed by a 2minute silence

The Ukranian National Anthem

Ukraine is Not Yet Lost
The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished
Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians.
Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine,
and we, too, brothers, we’ll live happily in our land.

We’ll not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom
and we’ll prove that we brothers are of Cossack kin.