Posted: October 10 2023
The Impact of your money – space2grieve
Your Impact
For the last two years, The Bob Willis Fund has been instrumental in helping fund the start-up of space2grieve, a small grief based charity in the Richmond upon Thames area of London where Bob and Lauren lived.
Knowing how devastating it can be when a loved one dies, Bob’s wife, Lauren Clark has been closely involved with the development of the charity, volunteering at their monthly drop in grief café, Compassionate Cuppa, to support local residents in their grief.
Co-Founder Jenny Harris shares what an impact the support from The Bob Willis Fund and other local funders is having:
“ When setting up space2grieve our aim was to be the provider of free support for all Richmond Residents who have been bereaved ‘no matter when, no matter how’. We are now fully up and running and our services include:
- Telephone / Zoom Bereavement Holding sessions
- Face to face Support for Adults, Children and Young People, Families
- Specialist Parenting through Grief sessions
- Facilitated peer to peer support at Compassionate Cuppa, our monthly grief café
In our second year of operation, we are really proud to report that our team of 35 highly trained volunteers supported 261 clients, including children and young people, and provided over 1,300 hours of bereavement support. 86 residents from across the borough also dropped in to our monthly grief café to receive a warm welcome and peer support.
At space2grieve we understand that the impact of bereavement can be wide ranging, long lasting and profound. Since the COVID-19 pandemic we are seeing more trauma, more prolonged grief, more complex grief reactions. Our firm belief is that free, personal one-to-one bereavement support is the most effective way to support each individual, tailored support being needed in particular for bereaved children and young people. Our core bereavement services deliver to meet this end.
Our thanks to everyone at The Bob Willis Fund for their continued support.”
In the words of our clients:
“It is an amazing service for those that are struggling to make sense of their grief, the service is high quality, professional, safe and comfortable, it doesn’t feel forced, it just feels caring.”
” I didn’t want to come through the Cafe door today, but I’m glad I did. I’m at a loss at the moment, it helped to have somewhere to come. I was greeted with a smile and such warmth”.
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