Father's Day can have a significant impact on many people, especially those with experience of Trinity’s care. It is important to give yourself permission to grieve and honour the memory of any father-figure in whatever way you need. Below are a few ideas on how you can honour their memory and manage your grief on and around Father’s Day:

1. Share their stories

Leave a lasting memory, story, or photos of your loved one on our online, dedication space. By leaving a memory, we hope that we will help you, even if in a small way, to celebrate and remember your loved one.
Here is how to leave a dedication: 

• Follow the link below to our Father's Day dedication page 
• Click 'leave a dedication' 
• Fill out the short form. You will have the option here to share your stories, photos and thoughts. 

Leave a dedication 

2. Buy a card or write a letter

It can be difficult to escape the aisles of Father's Day cards at this time of year. By buying a card that captures your feelings or relationship with your loved one or just putting pen to paper, you can help put your emotions and thoughts into words. 

3. What would they do? 

Why not spend the day doing what your loved one enjoyed? Whether it's a picnic in the park, a game of dominoes, a barbeque or a movie marathon, these activities can be a great way to bring family and friends together. 

4. Plan a memory walk or cycle 

Plan a walk or cycle around your loved one's favourite places. You could create a map and highlight each spot with descriptions of what they loved about that place or memory you shared. 

5. Engrave a leaf on our Memory Tree

Create a physical tribute by adding an engraved leaf to our Memory Tree in the reception at Trinity. Your leaf will be placed on the tree for a year before it is returned to you for safekeeping.

Dedicate a leaf

6. Restore or turn one of their possessions into something new 

Taking time to restore your loved one's favourite possessions can help you to feel more connected to them. Turning a possession into something you and your family would use regularly can mean you can always have a piece of them nearby. For example, turn a shirt into a pillowcase or an old watch into a new piece of jewellery. 

 7. Light a memorial candle 

If you would prefer, take a quiet moment to yourself – even if it is for a few minutes, to light a candle, read a poem or look through some photos. Or you could agree a time with friends and family, especially if it’s not possible to all be together, to light a candle at the same time in memory and/or schedule a video call.

8. Do nothing

If the thought of celebrating Father's Day is too much for you, treat it like any other day, or do nothing at all. From cracking on with household jobs like doing your washing, to having a quiet day and binge-watching Netflix, whatever feels right for you to do, do that.

We are here to support you

Our Bereavement team is on hand to support family members, friends, children and carers through the emotional impact of grief. There is no time limit for this support. 

To find out more about any of our bereavement services, please contact the Bereavement team on 020 7787 1062 (Mon-Fri, 9am to 5pm). If you need support outside these times, the Samaritans are experienced in listening to people whatever they're going through. They are available to help you 24 hours a day and you can call them for free on 116 123.

Donating in memory

If you would like to find out about donating in memory of your loved one, visit our 'donating in memory' website. 

Donating in memory