Actors including Helena Bonham Carter, Toby Jones, and Asa Butterfield have recorded themselves reading poems in memory of family and friends who have died, as part of a new annual event called Celebration Day. The initiative, conceived in 2022 by Stephen Fry, Prue Leith, film director Oliver Parker, and poetry curator Allie Esiri, is inspired by Mexico’s Day of the Dead and takes place on the last bank holiday Monday in May, which this year falls on 26 May.
Bonham Carter chose 'Don’t Let That Horse' by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in memory of her grandmother, known as 'Bubbles', a painter whom she described as an 'eternal child' who 'always had a sense of play'. She said: 'She died at 89, but frankly she never really grew older emotionally than about seven. A good reminder that no matter how serious it gets, you’ve got to remember to have fun.'
Toby Jones selected 'Portrait of a Romantic' by ASJ Tessimond in memory of his father, who died a year after Jones introduced him to the poem. Jones said poems 'were like clothing' to his father, who 'wanted to live inside' them. The second stanza of the poem is on his father’s gravestone.
Other actors taking part include Stephen Mangan, Nathaniel Parker, and Susan Wokoma, who were filmed reading at Abbey Road studios. The videos will be published on the Guardian website leading up to Celebration Day. Star pin badges are on sale at WH Smith stores until 27 June, with proceeds going to Mind, the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, Make-A-Wish, and Hospice UK.
Poetry curator Allie Esiri said poems 'help us express things that most of us find really difficult to express', adding that 'the great poet gives you words, and it’s sort of like holding your hand across time'. Oliver Parker, who directed the videos, described the project as 'a genuinely memorable experience'.
