Fran’s story.
Fran’s sudden death rocked the world for all who knew her. She was young with everything to live for, and yet all of a sudden her family found themselves planning her funeral.
Friends asked if they could come to The Sanctuary to see Fran, and with the family’s permission we began making arrangements. As the days went by it became clear there would be a lot of people coming, so we set up an all-day vigil. In all around 25 people came.
Some people came alone and needed the space for themselves, others found solace arriving as a group with other friends, sitting in the Sanctuary, drinking tea and chatting about Fran as each person took their turn spending time with her. It was at times a very sad day, but it also felt like a defining moment – a time to absorb the shock of Fran's death and to begin to understand what it means to come to terms with her death and the huge loss in all their lives.
We arranged for a cardboard coffin to be delivered to the family home, and family and friends decorated it. The end result was just fabulous; Fran was an avid wild swimmer so there were pictures of Fran swimming and images of her favourite bay in Cornwall.
A few days later we drove to the family home on route to Fran’s funeral. It was totally silent as we pulled up outside the house. Many who had come to the vigil were part of the gathered crowd. There was so much collective love for Fran, her partner Nen and her family – it was palpable.
Some funerals really stay with you and Fran’s funeral was one such event; the absolute generosity of her family to share this time with her community, and the determination of her friends to bear witness to her death is something we will never forget.
