Pop Up and Virtual Good Grief Cafes

Our Pop Up Cafés were launched in 2019 to offer a friendly, informal place out in the community to pop along and find others who may have been through a similar bereavement.

The purpose of the Good Grief Pop Up Café is to offer an umbrella of support in local communities and raise awareness of our online database which unite bereavement services across the country.  Our aim is that those grieving who may feel isolated and alone in their grief will make vital new connections and find new friendships in their local area.

We aim to relaunch new Pop Up Cafes out in the community very soon. Please pop back for updates.

GOOD GRIEF VIRTUAL AND POP UP CAFES

Our Virtual and Pop Up Cafes open regularly both online and in the community.

You are more than welcome to join anytime.  There is no waiting list.

  • Wednesdays at 12pm to 1pm is our Lunch Cafe and open for anyone to attend
  • Sunday evenings from 6pm to 7pm is our Moving Forward cafes, for those who are a less raw with their grief
  • Please email at hello@nullthegoodgrieftrust.org to register for all our Cafes.

All new members will receive our Good Grief Membership Pack and will be notified of updates, news and events throughout the year.

A few notes about our Cafes:

  • Our Cafes are open for anyone bereaved, to come together for a social gathering and share your experience with others who are grieving, in a kind, supportive environment.
  • Please respect others privacy in the group, by keeping any conversations shared, strictly confidential. We want everyone to feel relaxed and able to talk freely in the Cafe.

We look forward to seeing you soon

Our cafe hosts

Nicky

I lost my Mum on 8th December 2020. As an only child of a single mother, the loss is immense. My Mum and I were extremely close and shared a unique bond.

Carol

We thank Carol for her continued support, co-hosting our Moving Forward Cafe every Sunday evening.

Our Loss through Addiction Cafe is no longer running, so please see specialist charities such as https://adfam.org.uk/ for support.

This is Carol's story;

My husband, Miles, died at the age of 50 in May 2019. Nothing prepared me for the shock of his sudden death; it had been caused by his addiction to alcohol. He was in total denial that he had a problem right up until the day he was admitted to hospital. He died just six days later.

Pat

Thank you to Pat for working as a co-host and dedicated volunteer for over 2 years, helping to run our LGBTQ Cafes. Unfortunately, these Cafes are no longer running, but we hope to reinstate them in the future.
For support and information for those in the LGBTQ community please see https://www.cruse.org.uk/understanding-grief/grief-experiences/grief-in-the-lgbtqia-community/.

This is Pat's story;

When my partner Mike died suddenly and unexpectedly, my world changed beyond anything I could have imagined. I can only describe it as like a bomb went off in my head. Mike went on holiday to Mexico and died in the sea. First I heard he was missing so I flew out there to look for him.

Rach

Thank you to Rach for working as our wonderful volunteer for over 2 years, running our LGBTQ Cafes. Unfortunately, these Cafes are no longer running, but we hope to reinstate them in the future.
For further information on bereavement support for the LGBTQ community, please see https://www.cruse.org.uk/understanding-grief/grief-experiences/grief-in-the-lgbtqia-community/.

Here is Rach's store;

My wife Kris, died at the end of November 2019, we had been together for 13 years had two kids, two dogs a lovely home and a life that was tough at times but great and I am so grateful for every minute, hour, week, month, and year we had together both good and bad.

Georgia

Thankyou to Georgia for co-hosting our young person LGBTQ+ cafes and also the Good Grief young person cafes. Unfortunately, these support groups are no longer running but we hope to reinstate them in the future;

This is Georgia's story;

I started volunteering for the Good Grief Trust a year ago after losing my brother suddenly in 2019. In the firstfew months after my brother passed, I found grief isolating and overwhelming and wanted to talk to other people who were my age and who had been in a similar position.

Najeeba

Thank you to Najeeba for helping to establish our Parent Cafe. This group is no longer running, however, we hope to reinstate these tailored support groups in the future.

Here is Najeeba's story.

Hi, my name is Najeeba and I sadly lost my dad to COVID last April 2020. At the same I was struggling with PND and had a 12 week old baby to take care of in lockdown. I couldn't be with my dad when he was sick or when he passed, I couldn't go to the funeral and couldn't even hug my mum and this all had a profound impact on me, but then having to carry on taking care of a tiny baby 24/7 when my whole world fell apart was a living nightmare. Nobody understood how it felt and I felt so alone.

Liz & Tony

Thank you to Liz and Tony for establishing this popular Cafe in Cornwall. We will be publishing new dates for these Cafes opening again in Autumn 2023.

Here is Liz and Tony's story;

My husband Luke was diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2016, just a few months after we had moved back to Cornwall. It was a glioblastoma, which is considered a terminal diagnosis because of the aggressive nature of the tumour. Luke had the tumour removed in October 2016, underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy but the tumour returned in September 2018. Luke’s dying process and death was traumatic as we watched him lose his abilities; his memory, his speech, his mobility and everything that made him the man we knew. He died aged 46, dying at home as was his wish, after a brief spell in a hospice to try and manage his pain. But he died in a way he never wanted, without dignity and without choice and this continues to be a painful experience for those who watched him die.

Bringing the Bereaved Community Together

Welcome everyone

We know that many of you will be struggling and may feel alone and isolated in your grief.  These Cafes are a way of meeting others who will understand.  Many have been through a recent bereavement, or may have lost someone a while ago and just want to chat and share their grief.

VIRTUAL CAFES

During the pandemic, we launched our weekly Virtual Cafes which have now been running for over 2 years.

Please join us online on Zoom to connect with those who are bereaved and share stories with others who understand.

These groups are run by the bereaved for the bereaved and offer a place to connect with others who are grieving for peer to peer support.

To register for a Cafe, please email us hello@nullthegoodgrieftrust.org 

Volunteers

If you are interested in volunteering to host one of our virtual cafes, please email Hello@nullthegoodgrieftrust.org  for further details.

Thank you for helping to support your community through their grief.

 

THANKYOU! - Freddie's Wish

We want to send our heartfelt thanks this wonderful charity for their incredibly kind donation of £4,400 to help continue launching new Cafes and for the production of our Good Grief Cards.  We are extremely grateful, as this is the second time Freddie's Wish have supported our work.  They also donated £10,000 in 2019 to help us launch and drive forward our Pop Up Cafes in the Community.

This donation was emergency funding to help our charity meet the immediate needs of those bereaved during the current Coronavirus crisis.

Freddie’s Wish is a registered charity with love at it’s heart, wanting to help those who have lost a child of any age and offer support and care when needed. This charity has been set up because Charlotte Jolliffe's son, Freddie, was sadly taken from her in a tragic car accident in December 2014.

Please click here to visit their website for more information about their support for bereaved parents.

freddieswish.org

 

 

Our Pop Up Cafes launched in 2018. Here are some of our venues:

London
Venue: Mercato Metropolitano - Italian Market.
Bognor Regis
Café run by My Sister’s House, the only women’s centre in West Sussex.
Harrogate
Venue: OPTION V - Vegetarian and vegan restaurant.
Isle of Wight

Venue:

  • God's Providence House - Newport
  • Green Room - Ventor
  • Drop-in Community Café - Freshwater
  • Monkton Arts and Lounge Coffee Bar - Ryde
  • St Mary's Hospital - Newport

We held our first Pop Up Cafe at this fabulous central London Italian indoor outdoor market. Over 20 people came along, with and without their children who were at all different stages of their grief.  We ate cake, dunked delicious Italian biscotti and even made pasta together in a brilliant Cookery Class.

It was a relaxed few hours spent in the company of others who 'get it'. The warmth, understanding and empathy everyone had for each other was just really lovely to be part of........we hope you will join us soon x