Bereaved people in Worcestershire who have been supported by St Richard’s Hospice have set up their own group to help them look to the future.
The newly formed social group is called Next Steps and meets in the community room at the Waitrose store in Worcester.
Members of the group had previously been helped by the St Richard’s team through a variety of groups and one-to-one support before the death of a loved one and into bereavement.
Matt Jackson, St Richard’s Family Support Practitioner, said, “Some people have been supported by us for a considerable amount of time and may find moving away from that caring network very difficult.
“We run a Steps bereavement group where individuals come along for 12 sessions and have been working with some of the members to set up this independent social group so they can continue to support each other and those in a similar position in the future.”
The new group chose the name ‘Next Steps’ and has already hosted a ten pin bowling evening and has more social events are planned in the future. They meet fortnightly.
Yvonne Green, from Droitwich, has been supported by St Richard’s before and after the death of her late husband, Chris. Mrs Green is now a member of Next Steps and said, “It’s good to meet other people who have been through the similar experiences of bereavement. When people come to the end of being helped by St Richard’s, some don’t have friends or family around for support. This group can act as a backup for them beginning to rebuild their lives in the wider world.”
Any bereaved person who has previously been supported by St Richard’s who is interested in joining the group is asked to contact the Family Support Team on 01905 763963.
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,500 patients and family members in Worcestershire with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers. Last year 1,200 individuals were helped the Family Support Team.
St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.