30 Jan 2023
Local bereavement support and support groups
Information and contact details for bereavement support and support groups open to all in Preston, South Ribble, and Chorley
Bereavement Support
The care of St Catherine’s doesn’t stop when someone dies – we’re here to support their loved ones through bereavement, and to provide opportunities for our community to come together to remember and reflect.
Bereavement support is offered through all of our community and hospice-based teams and involves various people including doctors, nurses, social workers, volunteer chaplains and counsellors.
It’s important to remember that there is no set timescale for grief and everyone’s experience is different. Our Support Team therefore provides a number of different ways to help, working either on a one-to-one basis or in a group, and support is available for weeks, months and years after the person’s death.
- Please scroll down for details about our monthly Bereavement Support Drop-In sessions, which are open to everyone, even if you don’t already have a connection to St Catherine’s.
Bereavement Support Drop-in
Our monthly bereavement drop-ins are open to everyone; not only those with a connection to the hospice.
The groups provide mutual support to bereaved people and provide an opportunity to speak with the St Catherine’s Support Team and others in your community, in a welcoming and informal setting.
We have introduced an additional session each month to better meet the needs of our community and offer people a choice to attend during the day or the evening; enabling us to reach more people in our local area who may benefit from this support.
People are invited to attend on the second Wednesday of the month from 1.30pm until 3pm, or on the third Thursday of the month from 6pm until 7.30pm, in the hospice’s Garden Room.
Please email supportteam@stcatherines.co.uk or call 01772 629171 for updates if you would like to attend.
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Here’s what people say about our bereavement drop-in sessions:
“It’s helpful speaking with people who know what you’re going through. It’s very informal; you can talk about your grief and experiences, or you can just have general conversations, it depends how you’re feeling.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from the bereavement group and I was a bit nervous the first time I went. The idea of expressing my feelings to strangers seemed daunting but everyone was so welcoming and the Support Team really put me at ease.”
“I realised that all the feelings that I was experiencing were the same as everyone else in the room, and it was a place where I could express my emotions freely. It was an environment where nobody was judged and everybody got a chance to speak if they wanted to, or to just listen.”
Bereavement therapy group
Attendance at our bereavement therapy groups are by invite only, to people who have experienced the care and support of St Catherine’s. They are ‘closed’ groups which means that once a group has started, membership remains the same to bring a sense of stability and reassurance to members.
A new group is established annually and bereaved people known to the hospice and local palliative care teams are invited. It runs for seven sessions on a fortnightly basis and is facilitated by the hospice’s social workers and in conjunction with Vine House, another local charity in Preston.
The sessions take the form of structured meetings in that each has a theme relating to bereavement and general well-being. It offers members the opportunity to explore grief in a safe, supportive environment.
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Bereavement counselling
Bereavement counselling can be provided to people whose loved ones have been cared for at St Catherine’s Hospice.
The hospice is an organisational member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and we also have volunteer counsellors who give their time to support our families and loved ones.
If you declined bereavement support at the time of your loved one’s death but now feel you need some support, please contact the hospice and ask to speak to the Support Team.
Remembrance and reflection
We want our community to feel welcome to visit the hospice grounds of St Catherine’s Park at any time, particularly as a place where family and friends can come to remember their loved ones. There is also a dedicated tributes section on our website where people can honour the memory of someone special by writing messages and sharing photographs. Please click here if you would like to create a tribute page in someone’s memory.
We also organise a number of events throughout the year which for people to join together in remembrance and reflection. We hope this helps people feel less alone in their loss, whilst also doing something positive to support St Catherine’s. Our remembrance occasions include:
- Light Up A Life each December – when the festive lights around St Catherine’s Park shine in tribute of the special people who are being remembered at Christmas time
- Yellow Ribbon Dedications each June – when yellow ribbons are tied around the hospice gardens in honour of loved ones
- The Moonlight and Memories Walk each June/July – when supporters stride out under the stars, sharing stories and raising vital sponsorship for St Catherine’s with every step.
Bereavement support for children and young people
We work with Vine House in Preston to offer bereavement support to children and young people.
Using a variety of creative tools, along with one-to-one support from trained counselling staff, children and young people and their families are supported through dealing with their sadness and loss.
Resources
To see more useful resources around bereavement, please click here
31 Dec 2021
Grief experiences
How does it feel to lose a parent, partner, sibling, friend or colleague?
31 Dec 2021
Growing around grief
This view of grief does not tell someone that their grief will go away in time, but that there will be days when you are able to move on with other parts of your life.
09 Feb 2021
Children and bereavement
Advice from the NHS including making memory boxes, and where to access further support.
02 Feb 2021
Bereavement Support Sessions
Our monthly bereavement support sessions are open to all. They provide an opportunity to speak with our Support Team as well as people in similar circumstances to you, to share experiences and advice.
25 Nov 2020
St Catherine’s Hospice bereavement booklet
Practical advice and support including what to do first, registering a death, financial assistance, how to cope with your grief, talking to children about death, bereavement support networks, remembrance events, and more
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