The devastation of losing a loved one can take years to come to terms with – and many people never fully get over their loss.
Having the right help and support, people can start to get their lives back together after the heartbreak of losing a loved one.
When it is a parent, they have been there your whole life and people feel they need to be strong for the surviving parent, or cannot show their true feelings in front of their own children.
There should be no expectations of what someone should or shouldn’t do. Everyone is an individual and reacts differently.
Our Sunflower Group 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 UK 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.
Our latest Sunflower Group finished on Saturday, March 18.
Annie Woods, eight, attended one of our Sunflower Group.
She said: “The Sunflower Group was a great place to share my feelings with other people who were sad about somebody close that had passed away.
"It helped me remember all the happiness and special memories that I will always have with my grandad.“
When someone is bereaved it can be a totally consuming feeling, often leading to isolation and for some people it is very hard to move on from their loss.
Bury Hospice appreciates that bereavement is different for everyone and we have developed some new initiatives to help facilitate the best ways of offering our support.
Throughout the month, our bereavement and family support team run bereavement cafés and a walk and talk group.
They will be promoting their services at Radcliffe Library on Wednesday, April 5 between 10am and 3pm so please visit their stand.
The theme will be Easter and there will be goodies for the children.
There is still one week left to vote for the hospice in the Tesco Community Grants Scheme, which will fund local good causes whose focus is supporting children and families.
Customers in all Tesco stores across Bury can vote for the Sunflower Group until Friday, March 31.
The charity with the highest number of votes will receive £1,500, second place will receive £1,000 and third place will receive £500.
The money we receive will enable us to purchase new books and art and craft materials for children attending our Sunflower Group.
Please remember to pick up your blue token every time you shop at Tesco.
For further details, please contact our bereavement and family support team on 0161 762 5706 or email bhosp.bereavementsupport@nhs.net
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