A moving ceremony took place at St Mary’s Church, Swanage, in Dorset, as Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s Candles by the Sea returned to the town for a fourth year.
The much loved event, which was known as Candles on the Beach for its first two years before moving to Swanage Bandstand in 2024, trialled an evening at St Mary’s Church on Saturday 15th November 2025.
Personalised candle holders were inscribed with moving messages to loved ones
A carpet of LED candles
A carpet of LED candles in translucent boxes designed to be reused or recycled were placed in the church grounds, each carrying a handwritten dedication to a loved one.
Swanage Town Band and St Mary’s Church Choir filled the evening with gentle, reflective music inside the church, before Jo Sharkey, family support and bereavement lead for Lewis-Manning, led a minute’s silence for those in attendance.
The event, now a key date in the town’s calendar, proved to be a success in its new location, despite a few misgivings that a secular venue may have been a better venue to suit those of all faiths, or of none.
But organisers said they want to find somewhere with a welcoming inside space to be able to provide music and song in any weather, and which could also provide a stunning outside space for the spectacle of hundreds of candles.
St Mary’s church choir provided heavenly music for Candles by the Sea
“A beautiful and intimate occasion”
Anna DuRose, Events Fundraiser at Lewis-Manning Hospice Care, said:
“Our candles event in Swanage was a beautiful and intimate occasion. It was lovely to be able to reconnect with our Purbeck community, and we are proud to have created a special moment for people to come together and remember loved ones.
“The event helped us raise essential funds for our bereavement and family support services, so that families across Swanage and the wider Purbeck area can receive care and counselling when they need it most.
“We are now looking forward to our final candles event of 2025, on Poole Quay on Saturday 29th November, which will be a magical evening for all of Dorset to enjoy.”
Swanage Town Band played music in the warmth and comfort of St Mary’s Church
“A truly special moment”
Anna added:
“Candles by the Sea has become an important event in Swanage and Purbeck, and we feel incredibly proud to see how much it means to the local community year after year.
“It’s a truly special moment for people to come together, reflect, celebrate, and remember loved ones, surrounded by the glow of hundreds of handwritten dedications.
“Our new venue at St Mary’s has allowed us to create a beautiful outdoor candle display, while also providing a warm and safe indoor space for music and reflection.
“As always, our team will take on as much feedback as we can before deciding plans for next year.”
LED candles and holders were provided by volunteers who kept the event running smoothly
Quiet reflection and music
Organisers offered warm thanks to everyone involved, including the event’s main sponsor Perenco, supporting sponsor James Smith funeral directors, the performers, church volunteers, and Lewis-Manning’s own team of helpers.
Candles by the Sea is one of four Candles in the Community events taking place across Dorset throughout November 2025. The series began at Wimborne Minster and also includes Christchurch and Poole.
At Swanage, people gathered through the early evening for quiet reflection, music and remembrance, and eventually the soft glow of hundreds of personalised candles filled the church grounds, inside boxes carrying a handwritten dedication to a loved one.
Poignant messages were written to remember those who have been lost
Gentle light in dark days
Jo Sharkey, family support and bereavement lead for Lewis-Manning, said:
“For many in Swanage, Candles by the Sea has become more than an event, it is a moment of shared remembrance, community spirit, and gentle light in the darker days of November.
“Grief can take on many forms of emotions at different times, from the sadness of the empty space the person has left to the anger of having to face life without them.
“It is uniquely different for everyone and there is no right or wrong way to deal with it. Grief does not have a direction, there is no end date at which it ends. Grief always stays with us, but we learn to live our lives with it alongside us.
“Bereavement can be a time when the one person who would have helped us through isn’t there.
“Often we find that others return to their own lives, and this leaves us feeling alone or not wanting to be a burden to our families when sometimes all we need is a shoulder to cry on or a gentle hug.”
A quiet moment of reflection at St Mary’s Church, Swanage
The Candles by the Sea event of 2024 at Swanage Bandstand
The original event in 2022 was held on Swanage Beach
Further information
- Read about the work of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care on its website
