When we first built The Bridge of Lights, we wanted it to feel simple. You light a candle, you add a name and a few words, and your light takes its place alongside hundreds of others, glowing for someone who mattered.
From the start, every candle burned with a warm gold flame. Not long after, we added a blue flame as an option, because some of you told us gold didn't quite feel like them. That small choice turned out to mean a lot to people.
New Flame Colours: Blue, Purple, Yellow and Rainbow
So we've listened again. Starting today, you can choose from four coloured flames for your virtual memorial candle: blue, purple, yellow and rainbow.
Why the Colour of a Memorial Candle Matters
Grief isn't one colour, and neither are the people we remember.
For some, a flame's colour is a quiet way of saying something without words. Many causes and communities have a colour of their own. Purple is often worn for Alzheimer's and dementia awareness, pancreatic cancer and epilepsy. Yellow is linked with suicide prevention and with sending hope. Blue is associated with men's health and prostate cancer. Rainbow carries meaning for many people, from pride and LGBTQ+ loved ones to the pets we picture waiting for us.
For others, the reason is much simpler. It was their favourite colour. It matches the jumper they always wore, or the football shirt, or the flowers in their garden. Maybe it just looks beautiful, and that's reason enough.
Your Colour Doesn't Have to Mean Anything
We want to be clear about this: there's no right or wrong choice. You don't need a reason, and nobody will ask for one. A purple flame can stand for a cause close to your heart, or it can simply be purple because your nan loved lavender. A rainbow flame can be a statement, or it can be a bit of brightness on a hard day.
Your candle, your colour, your way of remembering.
How to Choose a Coloured Flame
When you light a candle, you'll see the option to choose your flame colour. Gold is still the default and is included with every candle. Blue, purple, yellow and rainbow are optional extras at £2 each. Once chosen, your coloured flame burns on your candle's page and on The Bridge itself, where it shines among the others.
If you've already lit a gold candle, it stays exactly as it is. Every flame on The Bridge, whatever its colour, is a light for someone loved.
A Bridge That Looks More Like the People on It
Look at The Bridge of Lights now and you'll start to see it change: golds and blues, soft purples, bright yellows and the odd rainbow flickering among them. We think that's exactly how it should be. Every person remembered here was different, and now their lights can be too.
If there's someone on your mind today, you can light a candle for them at bridgeoflights.org, in whatever colour feels right.