Joan, who recently received her 15 years volunteering award with St Luke’s and has spent 12 of those years volunteering at the fortnightly drop-in centre.
“My mum died of cancer when I was in my thirties,” says Joan. “I was so distraught, but there was no one I could talk to.
“In those days nobody talked about death and cancer was a word not to be mentioned. Even my father couldn’t talk about it and I felt absolutely bereft. I knew I wanted to do something so that others would not find themselves in the same position”.
“Everyone who comes has one thing in common - someone they love has died. The group provides a safe place to talk about their loss and where they can support each other.”
“My role is to welcome new people and introduce them to the group. That first interview can take 15 minutes or the whole morning. After that the people in the group look after each other and they make a special effort to make new members feel at home. I also look out to see if a member comes in feeling particularly low. If they need more help I’ll contact Penny to arrange it.”
"People attending the drop-in often form really strong and lasting friendships. They organise coach trips and at Christmas, which can be a difficult time, they organise ‘Turkey and Tinsel’ weekends.
“I enjoy what I do so much that my husband and I organise our holidays to fit around the fortnightly sessions.”
If you're interested in becoming a bereavement volunteer click here for more details about the role and how to apply. If you'd like to find our more about this or our other available volunteering roles, call us on 0114 235 7542 or email [email protected].