National Grief Awareness Week (NGAW) is an annual campaign which this year will run from Saturday 2nd and Friday 8th December 2023. The campaign is coordinated by The Good Grief Trust who this year have set the theme of the campaign as ‘Better Together’. This theme aims to encourage connections across our communities and help those who are bereaved to know where to turn for help when they need it most.
Click here to find out more about the campaign and getting involved with National Grief Awareness Week.
What is grief?
Grief is a word for some of the feelings you may have after the death of someone close to you, it is sometimes also referred to as ‘Bereavement’.Â
There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Some people describe being overcome or frightened by their feelings, others say they feel numb.
The thoughts and feelings you have will vary. Sometimes, they may be very intense and stop you doing things. At other times, they may be in the background and you can still do your day-to-day activities.
How you feel and react may depend on lots of different things, every person’s experience of grief is individual. Your feelings may change day to day or even hour to hour. It is quite normal to have ups and downs.Â
For more information on grief from Mind, click here
Accessing support
Grief can be complicated but accessing support shouldn’t be. It is absolutely normal that grief places strain on our everyday lives and it can take a long time to adapt to life after a loss. If you feel like you want to talk to someone about how you are feeling, you are not alone and support is available.
24/7 Emotional Support
- The Samaritans: Available 24/7 for free emotional support by calling freephone: 116123.
- Childline: Offer 24/7 emotional support over the phone for young people which can be accessed by calling: 08001111 or they have online support and a counsellor chat service available on their website, click here to find out more.
- SHOUTÂ 85258Â is a free, confidential, anonymous text support service available 24/7.
- For Sunderland and South Tyneside, the Initial Response Service offer 24/7 support and information on freephone: 0800 652 2868
Bereavement support lines
The Good Grief Trust have collated a list of support lines available from bereavement and grief organisations, click here to access it on the bottom of their website.
Local support
To search for local organisations in the Sunderland and South Tyneside area who can offer support, including counselling, click here.
Starting conversations and supporting those around us
The Stories We Tell and Are Told – A narrative approach to death and dying (creating a more grief aware society) is a half day training programme ran by Washington Mind. The training aims to change the way in which we talk about death and dying, how we support a person with their grief and how we can challenge and change our expectations of what grief ‘should’ be.
The session explores…
- The impact of grief upon families, friends, and communities.
- Attitudes that are often associated with grief, grieving, and talking about grief
- Alternative ways of understanding grief
- How we can support others and ourselves as we grieve
