Coping with bereavement is a personal thing but having someone to talk to can make a real difference.

The Rennie Grove Bereavement Support Line provides this listening ear and offers support when you or your family, friends or colleagues need it.

The recent coronavirus crisis has been particularly challenging for those whose loved ones have died. With restrictions on visiting hospitals, care homes or private homes in place, opportunities to say goodbye and be with people at the end have been limited.

Helpful methods of acknowledging grief such as funeral and memorial services have also been restricted, making it especially difficult for many to come to terms with their loss.

Whether the loss is recent or not, if you or someone you know needs help to cope with bereavement, Rennie Grove’s team of trained staff and volunteers can help.

You can call the Bereavement Support Line on 01727 638008 at any time and a member of the team will call back on the next working day. Trained to listen with empathy but without judgement, our team will work with you to find a way to help, signposting you to other forms of support if needed.

Lisa Makey, head of family support services at Rennie Grove explained: “We recognise that different people need different levels of support but it is important that no-one feels alone when coping with bereavement.

“Sometimes grief can take you by surprise too, popping up many years after someone has died or affecting you more intensely than expected when someone who is not especially close dies.

“Our Bereavement Support Line is there for everyone, offering support to help you cope with general grief or specific challenges and we hope that local people will use the service if they need it and help us spread the word about it to other members of the community.

“By supporting each other in this way, we hope to ensure that everyone in the local community feels they have someone to turn to.”

You can call the Rennie Grove Bereavement Support Line on 01727 638008 and it is open 24 hours a day for messages.

A team member will call back the next working day. Our help and support comes at no cost, however standard local call rates apply.