North West Bereavement support service secures £1,000 donation

A local bereavement support charity has welcomed a £1,000 donation from a national housebuilder to continue providing a network for people coming to terms with losing a loved one.

The Bereavement Café CIC has received the donation after applying for funding to Persimmon’s Community Champions scheme.

The pop-up service offers people struggling with grief the opportunity to meet with others facing similar situations for advice and friendship. The café operates on a pop-up basis moving around Bolton, Wigan and surrounding areas.  

The £1,000 grant will help fund the rollout of grief awareness sessions. The sessions will educate about how grief can impact everyday life long after six months. In adults, suffering can have long-standing mental health effects that can lead to more complex issues, such as self-harm, affecting both work/home life. Offering a space for people to talk can help reduce these massively.

Sessions are open to anyone struggling with grief or seeking advice on supporting others. Information about dates and times can be found here.

Persimmon has donated over £1.5 million to charities, community groups and local organisations nationwide via its Community Champions scheme over the last two years. Donations of up to £6,000 are available to local community and charitable groups every quarter, with applications received via the Community Champions website.  

Jane Dixon from the Bereavement Café CIC said: “The Bereavement Café CIC is a pop-up service offering peer-to-peer support to anyone struggling with Grief and needing somewhere to talk, meet others who feel as they do and gain support. Our aim is to stop the conversations around grief being taboo and hope to empower others with the confidence to hold difficult conversations around death.

“As a small charity, we are beyond grateful to receive this support from Persimmon Homes, which will ensure we can continue offering our vital service to those who need it.”

Karl Wiseman, Deputy Regional Chairman at Persimmon, said: “Our Community Champions scheme is designed to make a real difference to people and communities in the areas we operate.

“We’re delighted to support the Bereavement Café CIC, and we hope this grant goes some way to help the charity roll out its new service to people struggling with grief in the North West.”