Paul Chuckle in tribute to brother on anniversary of his death

Today (Wednesday 5 August) marks two years since Barry Chuckle died and in his memory, his brother and comedy partner Paul has set up a tribute page on Marie Curie’s newly launched Memory Cloud.

The Memory Cloud is a free online space to reflect on a loved one’s life and share special memories with friends and family.

With over a million people bereaved during lockdown from coronavirus and other causes feelings of guilt, confusion and regret have been amplified as the normal grief processes of a bereavement have been disrupted.   

Marie Curie hopes the Memory Cloud will help bereaved people who have been unable to mourn or attend funerals as they would in ‘normal’ times and will be more likely to struggle with the long-term effects of grief because they might not feel they have had any ‘closure’. In particular, coronavirus has had a disproportionality severe impact on people who identify as BAME. In addition, Marie Curie has called for a day for the UK to #UniteInMemory on 23 March, the anniversary of lockdown, and grieve as a community.

Paul Chuckle, who is an ambassador for Marie Curie, said: “I feel Barry’s with me all the time. He didn’t believe in an after-life, but I always did. And now every dream I have, he’s there – not old or how he was at the end, but middle-aged. I think he’s telling me that he was wrong and there is an after-life. I’ll remember all the fun we had on stage forever – every time we worked together. It’s nice to know he will be remembered by so many other people too.”

Claire Collins, a bereavement coordinator at Marie Curie’s Hampstead Hospice, said: “The Coronavirus pandemic has triggered a wave of bereavement and loss across the country, taking away people’s ability to be with loved ones and grieve in the ways that they have always done traditionally. Sometimes you might feel that the death of your loved one has become invisible or pushed aside, lost in the numbers and statistics of the pandemic.

“That’s why the Memory Cloud is a really great opportunity to come together with others, both to celebrate someone’s life and also to grieve collectively at a time when you might not be able to do so in person. It is freely available for everyone to use and it is there for you to go back to whenever and as often as you need.”

To visit Barry’s page and share a tribute visit memorycloud.org.uk/tribute/barry-chuckle  

Memory Cloud is run by Marie Curie and is available to everyone even if you haven’t used one of their services. Visit memorycloud.org to find out more and set up a page.