TOVEY Bros staff were honoured to take part in a very special ritual recently when they released 30 white doves in memory of lost loved ones to support St David’s Hospice. The doves, who are owned by family firm All Doved Up, were released from baskets at our Cardiff Road base in a Christmas Day video which paid tribute to family and friends who have sadly passed on.
Cheryl Marsh, who established the Newport-based firm with husband, Colin, in 2014, said the doves, which symbolise love, peace, purity, spirituality, freedom and new beginnings to name a few, were a special and poignant way to say goodbye to loved ones.
She said: “My father, Jeff, always kept birds and when he had terminal cancer he was cared for by St David’s Hospice. I set up All Doved Up in his memory and promised I would do a special dove release every Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
“Families make a donation in memory of their loved one and any funds raised are donated to St David’s Hospice as my way of saying thank you for looking after Dad. The releasing of the doves seems to help those in mourning to begin the grieving process and symbolises the letting go of loved ones.”
Cheryl added: “Our doves are pure white ‘rock’ breeds which have a strong homing instinct. We call them our white angels because when they spread their wings to fly they are so stunning they look angelic. Tovey Bros have been a wonderful support to us so we thought it would be fitting to release the doves from here rather than at the cemetery.”
James Tovey, of Tovey Bros, said: “We were really pleased to host this significant dove release in honour of those missing from our local community at such a special time of the year. Watching the doves soar away was absolutely captivating and we are very grateful to Cheryl.”