National healthcare and bereavement charity Sue Ryder is on the search for volunteers in Bedfordshire to help set up a new local initiative offering vital support to residents who are living with bereavement.
The charity is opening a series of Grief Kind Spaces across the country in 2023, with the first in Bedfordshire opening in Milton Ernest, just north of Bedford in the coming months.
But to get the grief initiative off the ground, the charity needs local volunteers, who would be willing to listen and support people in their own communities who may be struggling to come to terms with their loss.
Sue Ryder’s Grief Kind Spaces will be free weekly drop-in sessions, run by trained volunteers who will provide a safe and supportive space for people who have experienced a bereavement to come together. Sue Ryder hopes the Grief Kind Spaces will go some way to reducing the isolation and loneliness experienced by people after somebody close to them has died.
Tina Parkinson from Sue Ryder is spearheading the development of Grief Kind Spaces. She said, “Almost every home in the UK has, or will experience the loss of someone. Yet, our research tells us two out of three people who are grieving are still not getting the support they need," Tina shares.
“We spoke to 8,000 people who have been bereaved and many of them told us the support they really wanted was to meet and talk to others who had also been bereaved. That’s why we’re launching our Grief Kind Spaces.
“However, to open a Grief Kind Space here in Bedfordshire we need local residents to volunteer with us,” adds Tina. “All volunteers joining us will be offered training which will equip them in their role.
"If you are interested in joining us in bringing Grief Kind Spaces to Bedfordshire please get in touch. You don't need to have experience or have done anything like this before - just have a willingness to support others.”
The Sue Ryder Grief Kind Space in Milton Ernest will be held at Milton Ernest Garden Centre on Radwell Road in Milton Ernest and will be a community service offering a trusted, safe place for people in Bedfordshire to meet and talk about their bereavement.
To register your interest in becoming a Grief Kind volunteer in Bedfordshire please email GriefKindSpaces@sueryder.org, call 01767 642410 or visit sueryder.org/GKVolunteer
For anyone who is grieving, Sue Ryder offers free online support at sueryder.org/grief
Further details on Bedfordshire’s first Grief Kind Space will be shared soon.
