After the success of last year's appeal which raised more than £2,000, Marie Curie Cancer Care has launched this year's Lights to Remember Christmas campaign.

The campaign gives people in Kingston the chance to remember family members and friends that they have lost over the years by encouraging them to sponsor a light on the Tree of Remembrance in the Market Place in Kingston town centre.

The appeal, which is this year supported by Silent Witness actress Amanda Burton, will run throughout Christmas and will end with a ceremony in All Saint's Church in the Market Place on Saturday, December 15.

The moving ceremony, which will include readings by Amanda Burton, will end in the Market Place where the lights on the tree will be switched on to the sound of the choir singing Christmas carols.

Kingston residents can sponsor a light on the tree, which has been donated by Kingston town centre management, and put the name of their loved one along with a message in the Marie Curie Book of Remembrance which will be displayed in the church on the evening of the ceremony.

Amanda, who lives near Kingston, is a long-term supporter of Marie Curie Cancer Care.

She said "I can't think of a more fitting way to remember a loved one at this time of year. Christmas can be a hard time for many people and we are hoping to give local people the opportunity to come together and commemorate those who have passed away while raising funds for this worthy cause."

All money raised will go towards Marie Curie Cancer Care nurses in Kingston who give terminally ill patients the chance to live in the comfort and familiar surroundings of their own homes, surrounded by their loved ones.

To sponsor a light in memory of a loved one, contact Hannah on 020 7599 7338, visit justgiving.com/kingstonlights