Two memorial services in Winchester and Thame will support families and friends of people killed in local road crashes, marking the 20th Thames Valley and 10th Hampshire & Isle of Wight observances. Police, fire and ambulance crews will join bereaved families as names are read and candles are lit in memory. Organisers say the services help communities recognise the wide-reaching impact of each life lost.
Road Crash Memorials in Winchester and Thame to Mark 20 and 10 Years of Remembrance
Two memorial services in Winchester and Thame will support families and friends of people killed in local road crashes, marking the 20th Thames Valley and 10th Hampshire & Isle of Wight observances. Police, fire and ambulance crews will join bereaved families as names are read and candles are lit in memory. Organisers say the services help communities recognise the wide-reaching impact of each life lost.
06:07 PM, 11/13/2025Society
Memorial services to remember lives lost on local roads
Two memorial services will be held to offer support to families and friends of people killed in road crashes. The events mark the 20th annual service in the Thames Valley and the 10th in Hampshire & the Isle of Wight.
Fran, whose 27-year-old daughter Amy was pregnant with her second child when she died in a crash in 2019, said attending the service helped her realise she was 'not alone'. 'The event is the one time of year our family comes together to remember Amy and to say goodbye again, because we didn’t get that chance at the time of the crash,' she said.
Police, fire and ambulance crews will join bereaved families at the services in Winchester and Thame. The names of those who lost their lives will be read aloud and candles will be lit in their memory — moments many attendees find deeply moving.
Fran described the grief that follows a road collision as often 'very isolating' and 'very painful to let out at times'. 'The service is a place where you can let this out,' she added. Candle-lighting and the reading of names are particularly poignant, she said, especially when parents hear their child’s name called.
Det Ch Insp Justin Thomas, head of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: 'Every life lost on our roads sends shockwaves far beyond the crash itself. It shatters families, friends, colleagues and entire communities, leaving scars that last a lifetime. These tragedies are never isolated; they create ripples of grief that touch countless lives. Our memorial services are a chance to pause, to honour those we’ve lost and to stand with the loved ones left behind.'
The Hampshire & Isle of Wight service will be held at Christ Church, Christchurch Road, Winchester. The Thames Valley service will take place at St Mary the Virgin Church, Church Road, Thame, Oxfordshire. Both services are organised by the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police and will begin on Sunday at 14:30 GMT.
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