HUNDREDS of people came together at a Barrow rugby ground in a poignant remembrance of lost lives.

As the sun beat down on Furness Rugby Club, more than 220 balloons were released into the sky in memory of lost loved ones.

Angela Cauldfield organised the event that took place on Saturday to raise money for three local charities.

Balloons to Heaven first took place last year when Miss Cauldfield raised a significant amount of money for St Mary’s Hospice after seeing the idea on television.

This year, she is hoping to spread the money across three significant Cumbrian charities: St Mary’s Hospice, the North West Air Ambulance and The Bluebell Foundation.

Miss Cauldfield said: “St Mary’s Hospice is second to none.

“It’s the care they give – they offer a service that isn’t readily available but they rely so much on donations.

“The North West Ambulance needs a lot of support as well – it’s a great charity but so expensive to run.”

The Bluebell Foundation is a Barrow charity that aims to support people suffering from the loss of a child or pregnancy.

Miss Cauldfield believes the event goes hand-in-hand with these charities and the stories they tell.

She explained: “People have said it helps, especially with grandchildren sending away messages because they believe they are sending them to the loved ones.

“One family was telling me it was their nanna’s birthday coming up and the children thought they were sending balloons for her party.

“Every person will have a different reason for what it means to them.”

The multi-coloured balloons floated into the sunny sky to the sound of local singer, Tiffany Southward, singing You Will Never Be Forgotten.

Other acts also took part in the event, including Silly Sam the entertainer, Jordan Louise Smith – the current Miss Cumbria – who was abducted by the fire brigade and kept hostage to raise funds, and DJ Mark Phillips from Celebration Disco Roadshow, to name but a few.

With fun and games running throughout the day, Miss Cauldfield was delighted by the success of the event and the fact it helped bring the whole community together.

She said: “It was a really good day.

“Everybody really enjoyed it and because the weather came out nice people just came and sat out on the grass.

“We had a steady crowd of about 300 or 400 – we had more people than last year.

“It was really nice because it was a proper family day out.”

She finished: “All the families came together to release their balloons so it was community thing.

“Everyone there had lost someone so it was their way of donating back to the charities.

“It was just lovely to see everybody there together and having a nice time.”