Bereavement Support

Bolton Hospice is committed to supporting family and friends throughout their contact with the Hospice, and this includes support after a patient has died. Reverend Mark Brackley, a Church of England Priest based at the Hospice, is the Bereavement Support Co-ordinator.

What is Bereavement Support?

We allow the bereaved the space, time and opportunity to tell their story as many times as they need to without judgement, without advice and without preconceptions. We give the bereaved the opportunity to be heard.

The Service is staffed by volunteers and support is offered to suit the bereaved. This might be spending some time together with a member of staff or a trained volunteer, on the telephone or at the Hospice. We also offer informal support sessions at the Hospice, where small groups meet to share their experiences and support one another. Our volunteers help at these sessions, not just with refreshments, but also by taking part in the discussions, memory work, art work and other activities group members may wish to be involved with.

How can we help?

We can help patients, families and friends talk about issues raised by death and dying. We may also help in planning a funeral. About four weeks after bereavement we contact each family and remind them that we offer bereavement support.

Three times a year we invite family and friends of those who have died to a remembrance service, in which we remember their loved ones.