Bristol Memorial Woodlands in Alveston, near Thornbury is launching a new programme of bereavement support this Spring.
The provision, which will be open to anyone struggling with grief and bereavement in the greater Bristol area, comes after reports of an increase in demand for services and will be held at Bristol Memorial Woodlands.
A regular bereavement group meeting weekly for around seven sessions and run by professional counsellors is being set up and new bereavement walking routes, open to everyone, will provide a scenic and peaceful route around the woodlands, meadows and glades.
The bereavement support will be run in partnership with Mireille Hayden of Gentle Dusk who is currently recruiting a new bereavement specialist to run the sessions and help develop the offering.
Mireille said: “We are so excited to be launching more support services at Bristol Memorial Woodlands.
“We have run support and training events here in the past but it all came to a halt during the pandemic. Now that we can hold groups again we really wanted to find a way to bring people together and provide much needed support for anyone going through a hard time.
“We are recruiting a new specialist to run the sessions and help us develop the new programme of support. This person will be an accredited bereavement specialist and initially will run group sessions for 3 hours per week as we grow the new service over time and with demand.”
Bristol Memorial Woodlands is a 100-acre cemetery offering environmentally-friendly woodland burials where trees and wild flowers are planted around plots to create a nature reserve for future generations. Also encompassing a chapel and reception rooms, the site, the land and grounds are all managed by a charitable trust and it provides families with a location for unhurried, bespoke funerals for loved ones.
Mireille continued: “We are hearing from professionals and charitable groups that demand for bereavement support is increasing but that there is not enough provision and often people aren’t reaching out for help.
“We wanted to make our offering as accessible as possible so we’re planning some support sessions, which will be more structured and focussed as well as some informal walks which will be more of an opportunity for peer support.
“Bristol Memorial Woodlands is a stunning venue and even just being out in nature, among people who know what you are going through, can be a welcome source of comfort.”
For more information about the bereavement specialist role please visit www.memorialwoodlands.com/post/job-vacancy-bereavement-specialist
To apply send CV and covering letter to mireille@gentledusk.org.uk by 9am on 28 March 2022.