Bereaved families create songs in scheme set up by Oxfordshire hospice
The musical project is helping families of bereaved children at Helen & Douglas House.
Last updated 23rd Aug 2024
Some families who’ve lost children through life limiting conditions are putting together songs to help with the grieving process, in a scheme launched by an Oxfordshire hospice.
Helen and Douglas House have created an album of compositions in a project called the Keepsake Circle, where they’ve been working with writer Angus Powell and singer Kiki Deville.
The hospice provides support for local families with terminally ill children during their lives to help them live life to the full and to the family after their death. They provide a wide range of services to help support families in their grief, providing individualised emotional and practical support for however long they need it.
Kiki, who is based in North Yorkshire, and Angus, based in Wales, travelled to Oxford to meet with each family individually in the summer of 2023. With the support of a member of the Helen & Douglas House bereavement team, each family had the opportunity to share precious memories of their child. Over the months that followed, an original song was created by the Keepsake Circle team for each child to be remembered.
A year later once all the songs were written and recorded, families, close friends, and Helen & Douglas House staff gathered at Kingston Bagpuize House on 20th May 2024 for a special afternoon tea and private concert of their songs, sung live by Kiki and Angus.
Holly and husband Jason lost their daughter Jasmine in 2015. Holly says music has always been special:
"I was in the church choir when I was younger and during Covid I joined an online choir, so when the opportunity came up for us to have a song made especially for Jasmine it was like a dream come true that we could keep her memory alive through song."
Andrea Lambert from Helen & Douglas House said “I am so delighted we have been able to add the Keepsake Circle project to our bereavement services. We have seen how much the process of writing and producing a song in their child’s memory can help the families with their loss.
“It gives us a unique opportunity to work with those who come to us for talking therapies already and also those who do not use our traditional talking therapies.
“Working with the Keepsake Circle gives another choice in our bereavement toolkit so that we can reach out to more families and better support those who might otherwise not use our services.”