Family and Bereavement Support

Many people find it helpful to talk with someone other than a member of their family or a close friend. After an initial assessment, you will be offered confidential one to one emotional support with a trained and supervised support volunteer by telephone or face to face whichever you prefer. You will be offered support sessions with dates and times flexible to your needs and availability either at the Hospice in Ulverston or the Living Well Centre in Barrow.

“Having 1-2-1 support has allowed me to open up and talk about my grief because everyday life is busy and gives little time to think and express feelings. I would like to say a big thank you to my Bereavement Support worker who has truly helped me and made me feel comfortable to talk about how I truly feel about losing my mum. It has somehow made it a little easier”

What kinds of things do people talk about?

Different people talk about different things, it depends on their situation. There is no right or wrong subject to talk about. You might wish to talk about how you are feeling: guilt, regret, pain, relief, sadness, happiness and anger are just a few feelings you may experience before or after a death. Talking about them can help reduce their intensity and help you make sense of why you feel the way you do.

If 1-2-1 support is not for you, we offer telephone and digital support.

We also have a number of different groups available that you may want to join!

Please contact a member of our Bereavement team by phoning the hospice on 01229 580305.

Our Bereavement Gardening Group is open to bereaved individuals to come together to share experiences, ideas and enthusiasm , and ultimately, to help each other through loss all while learning a new skill or teaching others to become green fingers!

Not only will you tend to the gardens but you will also grow fruit and vegetables which, once harvested, will be used as fresh ingredients in our kitchens to be used for food for the patients and visitors.

Tuesdays, 10am-12pm, March-September

Our Bereavement Craft group takes place at our Living Well Centre at 299 to 301 Duke St, Barrow in Furness. The craft group is an informal group providing an opportunity for people to meet others in a similar position to themselves through being creative.

For dates and times of our upcoming craft groups please contact a member of our team!

Monthly informal coffee evenings are held in the Orangery café at St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston on the last Thursday of each month. (18:00 p.m. to 19:30 pm.). Some members of our support team will be there to chat with you and answer any questions you may have.

You are also more than welcome to bring a family member or friend along.

Online Bereavement Group

In July 2017 we set up a closed Facebook page to support people digitally recognising that evenings and weekends can often be the most difficult times. Our online support group provides a safe platform for people to share experiences, ask questions and chat to people who maybe in a similar position and who support each other.

Here’s what members of the group think-

“With the support of the Online Group staff and volunteers at the Hospice. I have found the strength to remember with love rather than sadness”.

“In these strange times I have been so grateful to read posts, have the group support and someone at the end of a message or phone line. So important to know you aren’t alone”

“This is ideal for me as I am recently widowed and not wanting to be face to face with my grief and hope I can still use this group site as I don’t drive and would have to take a bus or possibly a taxi so this is a good thing for me I’m getting a lot from what other people are saying so thank you and your doing a grand service”

If you would like to join our online support group please contact a member of the team!

I have been involved with St Mary’s Hospice since 1988: starting with fundraising for the Hospice as part of the Ulverston Support Group. In 1996 I did my training to become a Bereavement Volunteer, and in 2018 I became a staff member of the Family Support Team. This year marks 25 years of supporting patients and families at the Hospice and in the community: “It has been an absolute privilege to support so many people over the years, when they are facing one of the most difficult times in their lives.”

I started work at the Hospice in January 2016, originally I worked with the hospice@home team as a health care assistant, after  a few months doing this I then went to work on the in- patient unit in the same role. In September 2016 I began a foundation degree at UCLAN Preston to become an Assistant Practitioner, I completed this and graduated in December 2018. Since then I have taken on the role of Assistant Practitioner Bereavement Coordinator, within this role I provide bereavement and pre bereavement support to patients and their families. Our team also receives referrals from the wider community who can also access support from our service. Myself and my colleagues coordinate these referrals and we have a wonderful team of volunteers that we allocate clients to for support. The team of volunteers are all given in house training by ourselves at the Hospice.

I joined the St Mary’s family in 2019 as the Welcome Coordinator and Administrator at the Living Well Centre in Barrow. The centre provides a space for people living with any advancing illness and those who have been bereaved. Activity focuses on promoting independence, learning about self-management of illness, encouraging friendship and fun.

I share my role with a colleague and as the first point of contact for everyone visiting or calling the Living Well Centre, we ensure users of the building receive a warm welcome and a comfortable and safe experience whilst on the premises. The centre receives lots of enquiries by telephone and in person that are directed to the most suitable service for their needs.

Due to the pandemic, the centre has closed to public groups for the time being. However, this has meant that I have been able to adapt my role to provide administrative support to the Family and Bereavement team who are working from the building at this extremely busy time.

For me, the most rewarding part of working for St Mary’s is engaging with families and helping to make a difference to them at what can often be a very difficult time in their lives.