Long-standing family business Neville Funerals is launching its successful Talking Elephant’s free bereavement group on Saturday mornings from its headquarters on Marsh Road, Luton, LU3 2RZ. The sessions, which start at 10am on Saturday 14th September, offer opportunities for those who have returned to work following a bereavement.
According to research by the Good Grief Trust, 26 million people have been bereaved in the UK in the last five years. Despite this, there is widespread recognition of the gaps in bereavement services offered by public services in the UK.
The Talking Elephants groups were established in 2015 to tackle this issue and are held across Neville Funerals branch locations in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. They provide individuals with easily accessible, free, local and most importantly face-to-face bereavement support and the opportunity to comfortably engage with those in the community who have been through a similar experience.
Neville’s is introducing its weekend service on the second Saturday of every month for those that need just a bit more flexibility around work and family commitments. Attendees can visit sessions at any stage for their bereavement. For some the grief is fresh and for others it has been months or even years since they have been bereaved.
James Witham, Branch Manager of Neville Funerals, said: “Support for those who are grieving can often be overlooked today. It’s vital that we can expand our support to the weekends to offer our community that extra care they might need on days when they are more likely to have some free time.
“Over the years, we are pleased to have had some really positive feedback from communities with these groups already in place. Now is the perfect time to expand to a new time and help reach new people, encouraging the formation of new friendships and socialisation with other groups in similar circumstances.”
Over the years, the Talking Elephants sessions have assisted hundreds of people across the Three Counties in providing an outlet for their grief. One attendee commented: “With other people outside Talking Elephants, it can be difficult to be open as they may not understand. They may feel embarrassed and don’t know what to say and so ignore the subject. We don’t have to talk about bereavement but can.
“It’s also good just to be able to talk about everyday things as being bereaved can leave you very lonely. It’s nice to have the opportunity just to meet and have a chat and a coffee.”
Across Neville Funerals’ nine branch locations in Ampthill (Flitwick), Bedford, Dunstable, Hemel Hempstead, Hitchin, Luton, Shefford, Stopsley and Woburn Sands, its volunteers dedicated 36 hours each of their own time to make sure that 117 sessions went ahead. Over 700 people were welcomed through the doors across the year, with many having been in regular attendance for over 12 months.
With the new Saturday sessions starting in September 2024, the company hopes it can broaden its reach to more people in need. Vicky Trumper, Director, said: “Our biggest aim for the Talking Elephants sessions is to reach as many people as possible – through the Saturday morning sessions, we hope to this will go some way to achieving that.
“It is a very rewarding feeling to work with so many local venues and partners, who have opened their doors and facilitated these sessions. Hopefully, this new timing will help bring the people of Luton (and beyond) the comfort and support other local communities have received. We are all looking forward to these new sessions starting”