Your hospice’s Comfort Cafe is a safe, caring space for people who are grieving the death of a loved one.
The Comfort Cafe is a drop-in session and takes place on the fourth Thursday of the month at Brampton Community Centre between 10am and 12pm. Anyone who needs support is welcome, not just those who’ve previously had a connection to the hospice, and no referral is needed.
It brings people together to share stories, feelings and coping strategies which can play a vital role in helping people manage their grief and begin to find their new tribe, and forge new friendships and begin they move forward with hope, confidence and resilience.
The cafe, which launched towards the end of 2023, has already helped a number of people and continues to be a haven for bereaved people.
It supports people like Maureen Hodges, who when her beloved husband Peter died at the hospice in September 2023, felt the bottom had dropped out of her world. In those first, heartbreaking weeks Maureen felt that no-one could understand how she was feeling.
Today Maureen is finding her own way to manage her grief as she moves forward, tentatively, to try and make sense of a life without Peter. The Comfort Café organised by your hospice is playing a significant role in helping her find her way back to life.
“Just being with people who understand makes all the difference in the world,” said Maureen.
“I worried that I was talking too much to family and friends and I didn’t want to become a burden. At the Comfort Café you can just be you. We all have our different stories, but we have all taken that first step to help ourselves – and others. There is no pressure to talk if it’s too painful – but if you do want to share, people will listen and support you.
“For me, it’s a way of bringing Peter back into the room – and that is a comfort.”
*If you would like to find out more about the Comfort Café, please contact the hospice on 01228 810801 and ask to speak with the patient and family support team or email EVH.Jigsaw@nhs.net.
