Our Bereavement Support Team are available for emotional support and guidance as well as practical advice on things such as planning a funeral and associated costs. 

The team offer telephone or face to face support for those experiencing anticipatory grief or those who have experienced the death of their baby, child or young person. They can offer expert advice as well as signposting to other services within Bluebell Wood or from external organisations and will remain a point of contact for as long as you need.

Memory Work

Memory Work is the collective name given to the creation of bespoke keepsake items designed to capture the memory of a child. These physical memorial items can be used as a supportive tool during the grieving period and have been proven to be a source of comfort for parents, carers, siblings, and wider family members.

Our Bereavement Support Team can complete memory work pre-bereavement or soon after a baby, child or young person dies. Families can be as involved as they would like, and the team will be there to guide you throughout the whole process.  Once the memory work is complete, the team take this back to the hospice for completion, and it will be returned to families after 8 weeks. For those families not ready to receive their memory work after this time, it can be kept safely at the hospice until they are ready.

        

Memorial Pebble

Each bereaved family is offered a memorial pebble with the name of their baby, child or young person.  These
pebbles can be kept in the family home or placed somewhere special. They can also be placed in our Dragonfly Garden along with the pebbles of many other special children and families are welcome to visit at any time.

Counselling

Navigating life after the death of a baby, child or young person is one of the most difficult things a parent or carer will go through.  Our trained counsellors offer sessions to support with the emotional wellbeing of immediate family members, including siblings age 7+, during palliative care or post bereavement. 

We have dedicated therapy rooms to ensure privacy and comfort during each session and appointments can be booked to suit you and your needs, including offering remote sessions for those that prefer to be in the comfort of their own home. There is no fixed duration of sessions to allow for flexibility, sensitivity and understanding.

Dragonfly Bereavement Support Group

Our Bereavement Team also run a monthly ‘Dragonfly’ support group for parent, carers and immediate family members. Each month is the offer of an activity or workshop designed to encourage support and togetherness for individuals with shared experiences.  Previous workshops have included flower arranging, cookery, yoga and various craft activities. There is no obligation to join in with the activity; tea, coffee and cake is always on offer along with a familiar face and a supportive environment.

For more information please give our Family Support Team a call on 01909 517 369.

Our Dragonfly Garden

We know how important it is for families to remember babies, children and young people they've lost. Our Dragonfly Garden is open to families who would like to mark an anniversary or memorable occasion. It is a quiet and tranquil place where you can sit, think, and remember your child.

Our dry riverbed that runs through the centre of the Dragonfly Garden is filled with engraved memorial pebbles. Families place them in a position of their choice so that they can return to visit as often as they wish and see their child's name.

        

Remembering Day

Each year, in September, we host our Remembering Day ceremony for the bereaved families supported by Bluebell Wood.

Immediate family members are invited to come together to remember their babies, children and young people in a truly special way. We listen to the choir made up of staff, volunteers and family members along with poems, readings and music. The name of each child is read out to honour their lives. Staff serve each family with afternoon tea and the ceremony ending is marked in a unique way each time.

     

Spiritual care

Spiritual care is all about supporting you and your family in any way you need, whatever your religious or cultural faith and beliefs.

We have a quiet room at the hospice which you can use whenever you need, whether you want to sit and reflect, pray, meditate, or just listen to your favourite music.

We can also support you in other ways, like contacting a local religious leader to arrange a christening or blessing service. We will do whatever we can to make sure your religious, cultural or spiritual needs are met.

For more information on Bereavement Support contact [email protected]