Why RWK Goodman supports National Grief Awareness Week 2021

NGAW will run from 2nd to the 8th December 2021. It is especially important in the current this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently The Good Grief Trust charity have approximately 800 support services and support organisations, groups and services offering tailored help for any bereavement, anywhere in the UK.

What does National Grief Awareness Week hope to achieve?

National Grief Awareness Week aims to raise awareness of the breadth of resources available to those suffering from grief in the UK. The Good Grief Trust aims to reach out to those suffering with grief, but also those who have never suffered the loss of a loved one, in order to raise awareness and to seek they get involved as well.

The campaign aims to unify all resources available, in order to provide a high quality of care for all in the community, and as early as possible, to prevent grief seriously affecting mental and physical health.

It is also an opportunity to come together and make talking about grief normal and easier.

How can you get involved?

During the week, you can get involved in the following ways:

• There are a number of events on during the week, all over the UK, including a coffee morning, a 5K walk/run in Richmond Park, a donut day, and a number of iconic landmarks and buildings in the UK that will light up orange to mark the end of National Grief Awareness Week. If you can’t make it to one of these events, why not set up your own event?
• Checking in on your neighbours – check in on everyone, especially those that live alone. Ask if they need anything. Offer them a cup of tea. It might be appreciated more than you know.
• Be honest about your own struggles – find the confidence to share your own thoughts; it may help someone struggling to find the courage to open up about their struggles and break the taboo around talking about it. Your story could become someone’s hope.
• Go for a walk and talk with someone – distance should not prevent us from reaching out to others and sharing our grief wherever and whenever we can. The bereaved have often felt alone and isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic, so organising a simple ‘walk and talk’ may be the human connection they’ve needed for a long time.
• Become a volunteer with a grief charity, or make a donation of money.

Who is involved?

Here are some of the charities involved in supporting National Grief Awareness Week 2021 and how you can contact them:

• The Good Grief Trust - [email protected]
• Stand-By-Me Bereavement Support - [email protected] | 07469 255139
• The Good Grief Project - 07808 472 885
• Grief Chat – [email protected] | 01524 889823
• Sudden – [email protected] | 0800 2600 400

For more information on resources, or practical steps for what to do when someone dies, please see our dedicated bereavement website here.