Welcome to Candles in the wind.

Meet our founder!
 
Pam Flora MBE
 
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I am truly humbled for the blessing of this path – Grandma’s words – “Pam goes as one and stands in 10 thousand”.
I can confirm and witness those 10 thousand that Grandma refers to have grown to many more, - I can feel family standing beside me. All those souls whose headstones I touch, and say a few words to before lighting a candle, are blessing me all the way as I Remember them - “Thank you Grandma”.
 
Remembrance is every day; I have a solemn moment to reflect on the selflessness and valor of those who laid down their lives for our country.
Remembrance is a moment that serves as a poignant reminder of the cost of freedom and the debt of gratitude we owe those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
 
Remembrance is a reflection, and reverence.  A moment to pay homage to all who gave their lives in service, it’s my greatest aspiration to ensure their legacy of courage and sacrifice endures for generations to come.
 
My philosophy - May no soldier be forgotten, may no soldier walk alone, may no soldier be forgotten, even after they come home.
 
Where did it begin:
My path of tribute for our fallen heroes:
In late 2010, I had reached a point in life where all the stories I heard about Guy Gibson from Grandma, had put so much weight and influence upon me that I decided to visit the Wing Commander’s birthplace in Shimla (India). After visitingWing Commander Guy Gibson’s birthplace with Grandma, I was figuring out which way this was leading me.  My connections were tightly knitted after my visit to India and my empathy for the great courage shown by this officer had grown to a level where I said to myself!  'I have stumbled over something so beautiful and poignant that I wish to take my vision forward.'
 
The Commanders' courageous acts, at just the age of 24 inspired my empathy and respect for him, which, in turn, led me to search for his resting place in the Netherlands.
I walked the path with a feeling that is difficult to express, a heavy journey thinking I am going to see the hero I am so entwined with. The journey taught me to respect and to understand the meaning of such sacrifice given by these heroes.
 
When I found his resting place in Steenbergen I sat there for hours in silence, dressing it with rose petals and candles, I returned to Steenbergen a few times to dress the resting places of Wing Commander Gibson and Sqn Ldr James Warick; it was a heavy path realising how much debt is owed.  This was the moment that I decided to take this vision forward and attempt to honor as many fallen heroes as I could.  I began lighting candles at every resting place I passed.  Group remembrances took place with local communities at many cemeteries.  This was a personal path for many years which had to mature with feelings, tears, pain and silence. (The 1st part of the spirit of Candle in the Wind).
 
In 2014 I was at the second point of commitment, financing activities myself allotting the necessary time to go even further. From this point Candle in the Wind was growing into an international Remembrance organisation where guests from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany were taking part to 'Remember them' standing side by side as strong friends and Allied partners. (The 2nd part of the spirit of Candle in the wind).
 
I often remember stopping at resting places in Weert Limburg, (the Netherlands) in the last years and, at times could not control the sad tears as I stood and looked at the young ages of the fallen.  They were not able to say goodbye to their loved ones, and rest in foreign fields. These thoughts grew and inspired me even more to keep their memories and stories alive - It is our duty to Remember them as we owe this to them.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson became my heroic figure who shaped my life. I am what I am today because of him. Over the last 3 years I was able to structure the tributes in a way that paints a stronger picture of his courage to be shared in our message to Remember them.
At the beginning of my journey, I had never thought, or estimated, that I would be worthy of sustaining and sharing such a poignant message of Remembrance across mainland Europe.
 
A few words by Julie Harden (daughter of a fallen hero….To be added
 
A walked anecdote:-
The last 3 years have been the heaviest invested years in all my life to Remembering them, I walked with deep pain and heaviness, and visited a cemetery or a crash site or a memorial each week or even twice a week across Europe. Gold, Utah and Omaha Beaches were incredible wake up calls, during the Normandy Remembrance,  seeing the huge number of losses from all over, suffering, pain and tears, all to liberate Europe. This hit me deeply, and I have to accept and honor my thoughts - I am on the right path am blessed to continue and we must pay our debts until the end.  Lighting hundreds of candles sitting at resting places, is not about us, its about the heroes who gave their all.
The last 3 years have taught me to understand the meaning of forgiveness.
 
“For those many of you out there who know Grandma, will agree to where my thoughts and inspiration roots from. She was my teacher!"
 
A personal philosophy:
Focusing on things that are in my control, overcoming negative emotions, living in the present moment, helping others for the common good, and finding opportunity in every obstacle.
Encouraging others to focus on what they can control and accept what they cannot, leading to emotional resilience and inner strength.
 
About the founder – giving my spare time to those that need it most!
Another strong feature of my path has been to care for sick and isolated veterans who carry scars from conflicts and those that suffer in silence. It was vital for me during the COVID period to set up platforms for veterans and the broader community with the motto “lets combat isolation and loneliness together”, it was a frightening time for many veterans and a tough bridge to cross.
 
I am humbled to have possessed the ability to support individuals who were fighting a fight inside themselves and thought they were alone, thought there was no light, thought quitting was the only option for them, until we engaged, talked, and talked and still talk…..
Not all wounds are visible, so I fought and fought for them not to quit – and helped them to see the beginning of a light, I held their hand and walked with them to show them the way...
I am proud of many of them and especially Darren…. Here are his words...Here are his words by Darren..
 
On the military front I am the SSAFA Chair in service to a British military base in Germany – supporting the service personnel and their families and the community.
 

Our Mission and who we serve:
To honour the memory and the ultimate sacrifice of our fallen and our allies’ fallen heroes.
To honour those who fought and died in Operations and conflicts sustaining our freedom.
Honouring our fallen military heroes is a critical piece to supporting the veteran’s and families of the fallen who make up our community.
Keeping the stories behind the stars alive.
 
How we operate
We pay tribute and raise awareness through holding Remembrance Services engaging service personnel, their families, children and veterans, plus our NATO partners.
We operate with a terrain of advancing forward, sharing, collaborating with our neighbour countries - as together we are strong.
War memorials crash sites and cemeteries are dressed as the CEO expresses in her words.
This project is a self-funded by the CEO since the beginning to her path, from Pipe bands, soloists, wreaths, candles, roses, buses for transport, and refreshments after the Remembrance Service.
 
The face of Candles in the Wind – what is unique about us:
Candles are lit at every resting place of a fallen hero, not a single headstone is passed or forgotten.
Red Wine-coloured roses are placed – for love and hope for those families that lost their loved ones and were not able to say goodbye!
We believe that our freedom today which we enjoy was given at a heavy price as they sacrificed their everything for our today!
Let us be inspired by keeping their memories and stories alive –
We stand in solidarity with our veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families, recognising the huge sacrifices they have made to defend our freedoms.
 
Our Vision
To be the beacon of empowerment  for the children and families of fallen heroes, ensuring they feel their loved ones are never forgotten.  We aim to have a lasting impact in transforming grief into flames of love.