Anyone who has experienced the amazing care, support and compassion provided by Bury Hospice will know what a special and crucial service it is for the people of this borough.

Last week we welcomed our new bereavement counsellor, Jackie Hughes, to join our bereavement support team. Jackie will work alongside our bereavement and family support lead, Chris Green, and our fantastic team of volunteers.

Our bereavement services are offered to help and support people to cope with the loss of their loved ones.

In a bid to combat isolation, the hospice in Rochdale Old Road runs a bereavement café, a walk and talk group and a virtual bereavement peer support group as an alternative to one-to-one sessions. Our feedback for these groups has been very positive. It has been described as an opportunity to get out and meet new people, giving participants the chance to share how they feel, helping to prevent the isolation often felt after a bereavement and a chance to gain new friends.

The bereavement café is open to everyone and takes place on various Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the month. It is a friendly group, offering company, a time to chat and develop friendships in an informal surrounding.

Anyone is invited to attend the walk and talk group which takes place every Tuesday at 10.30am and the walk lasts for approximately 90 minutes. Walkers meet at the hospice reception. Refreshments and space for a chat are available at the end of the walk.

The virtual bereavement peer support group in an informal group, which takes place using Microsoft Teams on a Wednesday night at 7pm. Each group is offered eight sessions, which run fortnightly. Please don’t let the technology put you off, as our bereavement support team can help you.

Another service we offer is the Sunflower Group which was set up to provide bereavement support for children aged five to 11, as well as their parents or carers. The support group was launched in partnership with child bereavement to help children through their grief by giving them an opportunity to explore their feelings, express their emotions, share memories and develop resilience through creative activities. This group is open to everyone, however those with a connection to the hospice will be given priority.

When someone is bereaved it can be a totally consuming feeling, often leading to isolation and for some is very hard to move on from their loss.

Bury Hospice appreciate that bereavement is different for everyone and we have developed our services to help facilitate the best ways of offering our support.

For further details, please contact our bereavement support team on 0161 762 5706 or email chrisgreen@buryhospice.org.uk or jackiehughes@buryhospice.org.uk