Adoption charity PACT is to hold an event for adopted adults, birth relatives and adopters to remember family members who died before they were reunited.
The Remembrance and Reflection Day will take place in London on Saturday, November 8. It is also open to professionals who work with adults affected by adoption.
It will include a non-religious ceremony for people adopted as children and birth families to remember relatives who have died.
The ceremony will be followed by an event for everybody, which will include music, speakers including Sue Elliott, author of Love Child, Jenny Plant, Chair of the Natural Parents Network and Alley Lofthouse of Afoundling, and a Ribbon Ceremony.
Organiser Jean Milsted said: “Every year PACT supports up to 100 adults in tracing their relatives and it can be devastating for them to find out that the person they are searching for has passed away.
“This can be particularly poignant for birth parents who find that the child that they placed for adoption had died some years ago. Sometimes the grief cannot be shared openly, and so this ceremony can be a place to feel safe, where other people understand what it is like for them.
“We will also be having a Ribbon Ceremony – a tradition started by the charity Norcap, which has now closed – where ribbons represent people participants want to think about on the day.
“This whole event is a way for people to think about their relatives and reflect on their adoption experience as well as an opportunity to meet other people in the same situation. It is not just for PACT adopters and adoptees, but is open to any adopted adults, birth relatives and adopters who would like to come.”
The event will be held at Resource for London at 356 Holloway Road, N7 6PA.
The ceremony is at 2.15 p.m. with the main event at 2.45 p.m. The event finishes at 5 p.m.
Tickets are £5 each as a contribution towards costs.
To book a place please EMAIL:
PACT supports vulnerable families through outstanding adoption services, permanent fostering, award-winning therapeutic support and community projects in London and the south.