Bereaved Parent Support events are part of a wider range of support offered by Care for the Family to those grieving the loss of a son or daughter. For information on our latest resources, email newsletters, personal stories and details about our telephone befriending service, visit our website:

www.careforthefamily.org.uk/bpsCare for the Family is a registered charity and has been working to strengthen family life since 1988. For more information on the wider work of Care for the Family visit www.careforthefamily.org.uk

Bereaved Parent Support weekendFriday 14 – Sunday 16 OctoberStaverton Park Hotel, Daventry Road, Staverton, Daventry, NN11 6JT To come away on our Bereaved Parent Support weekend costs £145 per person, including two nights accommodation and all meals from Friday evening to Sunday lunchtime.

Bereaved Parent Support daysSaturday 23 AprilSt Peter’s Baptist Church, Eden Close, Worcester, WR5 3TZ

Saturday 21 MayPortrack Baptist Church, St Ann’s Terrace, Portrack, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 2HT

Saturday 2 JulyCity Church, 12–14 Cheddars Lane, Cambridge, CB5 8LD

Saturday 12 NovemberDavidson’s Mains Parish Church, 1 Quality Street, Davidson’s Mains, Edinburgh, EH4 5BB

All day events take place from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (registration from 9.30 a.m.). The cost of attending one of our support days is £22 per person, including lunch and refreshments. All events are subsidised. However, if the cost of attending a day or weekend event is prohibitive, please contact us as a bursary may be available.

Care for the Family – a Christian response to a world of need.A registered charity (England and Wales: 1066905; Scotland: SC038497). A company limited by guarantee no. 3482910. Registered in England and Wales.BP

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Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/bpscff

For our Bereaved Parent Support weekend:Please book your place online atwww.careforthefamily.org.uk/bpsweekendor call on 029 2081 0800.

For our Bereaved Parent Support day: Please book your place online atwww.careforthefamily.org.uk/bpsdayor call on 029 2081 0800.

Care for the Family’s Bereaved Parent Support events are for parents who have lost a son or daughter of any age, in any circumstance and at any stage along their journey of grieving.

Care for the Family is motivated by Christian compassion. However, our support days and weekends are available and accessible to everyone, of any faith or none. Please contact us if you are unsure whether these events would be suitable for you – bps@cff.org.uk.

The weekend and day events are open to all bereaved parents who wish to come either on their own or as a couple, whether or not they have attended in the past.

We are sorry, but we are unable to cater for babies and children at these events.

How to book“ It was great to be

free to laugh and cry without judgement or embarrassment.”

“ It is such a relief to be

somewhere where it’s ok to be just

as you need to be.”

Care for the FamilyGarth House, Leon Avenue,Cardiff, CF15 7RG 029 2081 0800 mail@cff.org.uk www.facebook.com/careforthefamily @care4thefamily

Booking information148mm

Bereaved Parent Support EventsEvents to support parents living with loss after the death of a son or daughter.

2016

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Support Day information

Finding comfort and hope We know from personal experience that losing a son or daughter at any age is one of the most heartbreaking things you can ever face as a parent.

Whether this has happened to you recently or some time ago, we invite you to join us on a Bereaved Parent Support event. Here you will be with others who understand your situation first-hand and are ready to listen, offer you reassurance and hope for the journey ahead.

Making time for you Many have found that taking an entire weekend away in safe surroundings where everything is catered for is a time when they can begin to explore their feelings of sadness and loss.

During a support weekend, you will have time to seek help and advice from compassionate people who have also experienced the pain of losing a son or daughter. You’ll discover that you don’t have to put on a brave face and cope on your own, and gain encouragement from hearing how others have started to rebuild their lives.

It is also an ideal opportunity to make friendships with people who you can turn to for understanding and support in the future.

Support weekend

Support days

Friday 14 – Sunday 16 October 2016Staverton Park Hotel, Daventry “The day was a layby

on my dual carriageway of grief – a time to ‘pull over’ from this journey and be strengthened and refreshed.”

Mike and Kath were part of the Bereaved Parent Support team when it began in 1999 and became Coordinators in 2007. Their eldest son Philip died suddenly in 1994 aged seven, following a brain haemorrhage. They have three surviving children, two of whom have never met their oldest brother.

Our team of trained volunteer befrienders includes both mums and dads, all of whom have themselves lost a son or daughter. Coming from a variety of cultures and locations, they bring their own unique experiences to enable them to support other parents. Together we are able to identify with a range of losses and situations from stillbirth through to the death of an adult child, including illness, accident and ‘socially difficult’ deaths.

Our befrienders host small groups of parents at each of our events. We aim, where possible, to group together parents who have lost children either of a similar age or in similar circumstances. You’ll find that all of our team have some things in common – their own experience of the loss of a child and the ability to listen and provide understanding support.

Meet the team

Mike and Kath Coulson, Bereaved Parent Support Coordinators

« Some of the Bereaved Parent Support befriending team

“Everyone was wonderfully sensitive, compassionate and helpful. Supportive in every way.”

“ It was a safe place to share our pain and loss, and an opportunity to celebrate and talk about our children.”

We are also running support days, where you’ll be able to meet others who understand the heartache you are going through. Many have

found that these events can make a huge difference in helping them cope both now and as they think about the future.

The difference a day can make As well as having times to talk informally over refreshments and lunch, you will have opportunities to:

Meet and share with other parents who have suffered the death of a child

Discover practical ways to work through the pain of bereavement and loss

Receive comfort, hope and help for the journey ahead

Saturday 23 April – WorcesterSaturday 21 May – Stockton-on-TeesSaturday 2 July – CambridgeSaturday 12 November – Edinburgh

Relax in comfort Our support weekend takes place in the modern and comfortable surroundings of Staverton Park Hotel, Daventry. Set in 150 acres of beautiful countryside, you will have opportunities to walk, take time out by yourself and be in the company of other parents who are facing similar challenges.

Time to learn from each other During the weekend you will be able to:

Have time to talk about your son or daughter Gain insights to help you in your journey through loss Understand some of the differences in how men and women grieve Discover creative ways of remembering your child Participate in a time of thanksgiving to celebrate the life of your child

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