Suffolk hospice encourages people to talk about bereavement
St Elizabeth Hospice wants to promote open conversations about bereavement, death and dying
Last updated 23rd Mar 2021
People across Suffolk are being encouraged to speak about bereavement.
St Elizabeth Hospice has joined the Compassionate Communities project to help people speak about the subject and support others.
It's been one year since the first lockdown began (23 March) and across the county almost 1,400 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19.
The charity thinks having the ability to speak about death has been made even more important by the pandemic.
Greg Cooper, Compassionate Communities Lead Project Manager at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: "There's far more people who are experiencing loss and bereavement at this moment in time than previous generations. It's very apt with the timing and I think we can help a lot of people."
Greg explained the best thing to do to help someone who's bereaved is to listen and give them the opportunity to speak about how they feel.
Greg continued: "Often not talking about bereavement or death can leave many feeling isolated, but through Compassionate Communities we want to help people find the words to tell their stories and ensure nobody is left alone."
You can find out more about the Compassionate Communities project on the charity's website.
Day of Reflection
A national day of reflection is being used to mark the one-year anniversary of lockdown today.
Since the start of the pandemic, over 126 thousand people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test.
A minute's silence is being held at noon and then at 8pm tonight people are being asked to stand on their doorstep with candles or torches.