A memorial service to mark 12 months since the emergence of an incident at a funeral home in the city is to take place in Hull next month.
Families directly affected by the situation have been invited to attend the event at Hull Minster on Thursday 6 March.
The service, which will be held on an invite-only basis, will start at 7pm, and will last around 45 minutes.
It will be led by the Bishop of Hull, the Right Reverend Dr Eleanor Sanderson, and the Vicar of Hull Minster, Reverend Canon Dr Dominic Black.
The Bishop of Hull said: “We offer this service to support the families who continue to bear the distress and grief caused by the revelations one year ago.
“Our desire as a Church has always been to offer all that we can from our faith tradition to seek to restore and uphold the dignity of those affected.
“I pray that the families who gather here will experience respect, love, and care, for themselves and each other as well as for their loved ones.”
Canon Dominic Black said: “It has been a long and traumatic process for the families involved in this.
“We hope and pray that this service offers some comfort and healing for those involved.”
Invites have been sent over the past few weeks to families directly affected by the investigation, and with Hull Minster expected to be close to capacity, the event will not be open to the general public.
Hull Minster is working with Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, who have offered support to affected families since the incident first emerged.
Hull City Council’s Director of Adult Social Care, Tracy Meyerhoff, who is leading the work to support the families and communities affected by the incident in Hull, said: “We realise the impact of this incident is spread far and wide across the city and beyond, and there will be a lot of attention on this service.
“However, many people who will be attending are still dealing with their grief, and want to do so in their own way.
“It’s important that these people be given the privacy they need to reflect and remember on what will be a difficult day.
“We also recognise there may be others who will find great strength in coming together with those who have had the same shared experience.”
East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s recovery lead for the incident, and Director of Housing, Transportation and Public Protection, Angela Dearing, said: “So that we can enable each directly affected family to attend the service within the space that is available in Hull Minster, they have initially been offered two invites to the service.
“We realise that there may be other people connected to this incident who may want to attend, and whilst we will do what we can to offer them any spare seats, we are limited in the numbers who can come into Hull Minster.
“There will, however, be the opportunity on the evening to light a candle and to write a tribute message, and these options will remain open at Hull Minster in the weeks after the service for anyone who is unable to attend the event.”
The charity Victim Support continues to run a dedicated, independent helpline and support service for anyone affected by the incident.
Call 0808 281 1136 or find more information at https://humbersouthyorks.victimsupport.org.uk/help-and-support/legacy-independent-funeral-directors-investigation/
