Communities across Merseyside will join together for a special online celebration of Father’s Day on Sunday 21 June.
The local councils on Merseyside will be using social media to send out a series of tribute videos throughout the day.
The project is a partnership between the Cemeteries and Crematorium Services across the city region and GreenAcres, Cemetery and Ceremonial provider.
In Liverpool, there will be a special message and dove release from Lord Mayor Cllr Anna Rothery at Anfield Cemetery, a reading from Rev Juliet Stephenson, and a message from Ibrahim Syed of the Liverpool Region Mosque Network.
The messages will begin at 11am on Sunday from GreenAcres Cemetery in Ranford and go through until 6pm.
The Lord Mayor’s message will be posted at 1pm on Liverpool City Council’s Twitter page @lpoolcouncil and Facebook page facebook.com/lpoolcouncil.
As well as being a tribute to fathers, the day will illustrate the partnership between the councils and GreenAcres that has developed during the coronavirus outbreak and to give people an alternative to visiting cemeteries on the day, which are still subject to strict social distancing rules.
Liverpool City Council’s Bereavement Services Manager, Alan Sheldon, said: “As a team of people who serve bereaved communities every week, we decided to collaborate in a Merseyside Father’s Day event as a way of letting our families know that we care and understand how difficult the day will be for so many.”
Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Ann Rothery said: “These are difficult times with the COVID virus and it is having an impact on how we can celebrate those fathers who have been lost but please take heart, the city is doing all it can to ensure that people have the opportunity to say farewell to their beloved fathers.”
