Bereavement Group

As its name says, this is a group of people who have all become bereaved through the death of their husband, wife or partner. We meet to offer each other support through being honest and open with each other as to our grief and mourning. We share stories about our life, including, of course, about our loved one from whom we are now parted. This is done informally with no particular structure and there is no pressure to talk.

The group meets in a side room in the church on every Wednesday from 10am to 12.30pm. Tea, coffee and biscuits are available, and a box of tissues! Most of the time is spent in talking, sometimes we have a quiz for fun, and occasionally we have a short time of Christian worship. We also have outings using the church’s minibus, and these usually last until 4.00pm, so we go to places where food is served. We have also started to go to see films in the cinema, and may explore similar activities.

Andrew Hetherington, a retired clergyman, started the group when he found others who were in the same situation, having become bereaved during the Covid Crisis. Being alone was made so much worse because of the restrictions on meeting, that a small group of six started to meet as soon as possible. We have now grown in number.

Andrew knows that our society is not good at coping with people who are bereaved. There is an expectation that ‘we get over it quickly;’ ‘we don’t embarrass others by talking about our loved one or shedding tears.’ None of this helps!