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'Grief Kind' campaign helps the bereaved

Words by Smiley Team

‘Grief Kind’ is the name of a new campaign by leading bereavement charity, Sue Ryder, to help people feeling alone in their grief.  

Famous faces, including Lottie Tomlinson, Malin Andersson, TV presenter Richard Arnold and actress Davinia Taylor have shared personal accounts of grief in support of the Grief Kind campaign to help the nation better support loved ones through a bereavement.

The campaign comes after a survey by Sue Ryder revealed 86% of people who have experienced a bereavement in the UK felt alone in their grief, with the primary reason being that those around them didn’t know what to say or do to help them (81%).

Grief is something we will all have to go through, yet over two fifths (44%) of the British public admit that they have felt unsure of what to say when someone tells them a close relative or friend has died.

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Recognising it can be a difficult to know how to support a loved one, Sue Ryder launched the campaign to equip people with the know-how and confidence to support friends and family through a bereavement, so that no one has to go through grief alone.

Heidi Travis, chief executive officer of Sue Ryder says: “Sadly, as a society we are experiencing a moment in time where many of us will want to be there to support a grieving loved one. However, when it comes to something as tough as grief, it can be hard to know what to say or do that might help.

“People who have been bereaved have told us that all too often their loved ones and their support networks are so scared of getting it wrong that they do nothing at all. This is leaving many people feeling isolated in their grief. 

“We want our Grief Kind campaign to provide people with advice, knowledge and confidence to help those close to them to navigate the toughest moments of their lives.”

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Sue Ryder research shows the following are the most useful things that people can do to help someone who is grieving include:

1. Just being there without trying to ‘fix’ anything
2. Talking about memories of the person who died
3. Keeping in touch but not expecting a response 
4. Offering to spend time with doing things they enjoy

In addition, when it comes to words of comfort, the survey shone a light on the most helpful things people can say to a loved one to help them through a bereavement:

1. Thinking of you
2. I am here for you 
3. My favourite memory of them is…
4. I am just a phone call away

Sue Ryder provides a range of online bereavement support, including free video counselling delivered through trained bereavement counsellors; an online community forum offering 24-hour peer to peer support and a wide range of advice and resources for people who are grieving or supporting someone through bereavement.

For more information and expert advice from Sue Ryder’s trained bereavement counsellors, visit sueryder.org/GriefKind.

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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