Nottinghamshire-based Gillotts Funeral Directors has been helping bereaved people with the grieving process by sponsoring a valuable new free support group in Selston.
Paula Daley, a psychotherapist who is the founder of Revive Counselling and Wellbeing Community Interest Company (CIC) at the Tin Hat Centre in Selston, has said she is extremely grateful to Gillotts for helping start up the new support group in an area where mental health services can be hard to access.
Paula has been running Haven Bereavement Group sessions at St Helen’s Church in Selston along with a colleague, Lucy who is a qualified bereavement counsellor.
Local people have been coming along to get valuable support in being able to live alongside their grief.
More Haven Bereavement Group sessions sponsored through help from Gillotts will be starting up in the New Year to help people who have struggled with feelings of loss during the Christmas period.
Paula, who has in the past worked as a bereavement counsellor for a local hospice, said: “The Haven Bereavement Group was created to provide a safe, supportive space where people can share their experience and deepen their understanding of grief and loss.
“It offers a place where people can speak openly and honestly around grief, explore how loss has affected them and realise they are not alone – as grief can often be deeply isolating.
“For the people who attend, life can still feel very challenging. Many are struggling in different ways and grief continues to impact them day to day. The group enables people to be open about how they are feeling, reduces feelings of isolation, and supports them in finding ways to move forward alongside their grief.”
Paula, whose colleague Lucy has facilitated bereavement groups for a number of years, said it was important for people to understand that their feelings are a natural part of grief, and to find ways to live alongside it.
She said: “Many people say: ‘I shouldn’t be feeling this way, I should have moved on’. There’s a common belief that with time, these feelings will disappear because time alone heals.
“Time can help but it’s not about your grief going away. When someone dies, that creates a circle of loss within you. That circle doesn’t always get smaller — instead, you grow around it, learning to live with grief as part of your life.”
Paula said she was very grateful for support from Gillotts, without which she would not have been able to offer the valuable sessions for free.
She said: “It’s vital that people are given the space to express how they feel, rather than carrying their pain alone. When feelings are pushed aside, the pain doesn’t disappear. Death is still something many people find difficult to talk about, which can leave individuals feeling isolated in their grief.
“It has been amazing to have support from Gillotts. This service is much needed and it’s been great to have been able to put it on for free.
“There’s a mental health crisis and that does include bereavement and grief. People are struggling to access the services and get the support they need. We are not going to be able to solve all of that crisis but we can do our bit to help people.
“Ashfield doesn’t have a lot of support in mental health and Selston often gets left behind with its services. To have something like this in the community is amazing. Huge thanks to Gillotts for their support.”
Gillotts Funeral Director partner Joanne Hutsby said: “We have been very proud to support the Haven Bereavement Group in Selston. At Gillotts we see grieving families every day and we are there to support them as they go through the toughest times we all experience. Bereavement counselling can be invaluable for people in learning they are not alone and that support is out there for them. Just a listening ear can be such a help. It’s a natural fit for us at Gillotts to be supporting this work and we are very happy to hear it has been such a success.”
This story was written and shared on behalf of Gillotts Funeral Directors by Lucy Stephens. Can we share your news and get you in the headlines too? Find out how we can help by getting in touch.
