2 Dec 2023
You can add a tribute of your loved one to the Christmas Memory Tree at the Falcon Hotel in Uppingham
BEREAVEMENT HELP POINT HAS LAUNCHED A CHRISTMAS MEMORY TREE FOR NATIONAL GRIEF AWARENESS WEEK.
National Grief Awareness Week takes place from 2 – 8 December 2023, providing a dedicated period for individuals, organisations, and communities to come together to acknowledge grief, bereavement, and loss.
In recognition of National Grief Awareness week, and in the run up to Christmas, The Bereavement Help Point, in partnership with The Falcon Hotel, LOROS, Dove Cottage, Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall and the Uppingham in Rutland Lodge of Freemasons, are offering an opportunity to help those in our community who have suffered, or are suffering a bereavement by organising a Christmas Memory Tree to help remember loved ones.
In The Falcon Hotel Uppingham from 2 December 2023, personal written tributes in memory of loved ones can be added to a dedicated Silver Birch placed in the Lounge. This is an ideal opportunity to bring to mind those of our nearest and dearest that are no longer with us but stay in our hearts for ever - especially when we treasure their memory.
Christmas can be a bitter-sweet time; a time for loved ones, but also a time when we remember those who have died and whom we no longer see. Losing a partner, parent, sibling, a close friend or anyone that you care for can be incredibly difficult and sad, and for some, more so at this time of year and the first Christmas without a loved one may bring heightened dread, bringing back memories of the past. Offering up a memory to the tree is a fitting tribute to loved ones who have helped to shape our lives and have since passed away.
Claire Henry MBE – Founder and lead for Bereavement Help Points and Trustee, said: “Following my own Bereavements, I am aware of those different emotions you can experience especially in the lead up to Christmas, that’s why along with other volunteers from the Bereavement Help Points we wanted to create an opportunity and place where we can remember those important to us, please do come along during the week to add you loved one to the memory tree. “
The Bereavement Help Point is an accessible, drop-in service that aims to provide bereaved people with a place where they can access information and support, and where they can talk to others and share their emotions in a safe environment. With weekly meetings across Rutland, The Bereavement Help Point aims to create a safe space for individuals to openly discuss their experiences with grief and loss. It encourages empathy, compassion, and support for those who are grieving, along with Signposting for additional help and support.
Alicia Kearns, Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton, said:“Bereavement Help Point is a wonderful local organisation, whose work has been invaluable in supporting Rutlanders who are experiencing grief, loss or bereavement.”
“Grief isn’t something you overcome or that ever leaves you, and the lead up to Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for anyone missing a loved one. This lovely memory tree is a fitting way to pay tribute to those we love and lost, but are forever in our hearts, with a special written tribute.”
Dr Sarah Furness Lord Lieutenant Rutland“I am delighted by the success of the Bereavement Help Points in Ketton, Uppingham and Oakham. They provide friendly support where people can meet and exchange experiences with others who will understand. Losing someone close to you leaves an emotional hole, and grief in itself can be so isolating. I think these help points are a very positive way of supporting people at a most difficult time of their lives. I congratulate and thank all who have helped set the hubs up and run them.”
For more information about the bereavement Help Points visit https://www.bhprutland.com/