2020 Events
Oldham Community Leisure – Virtual step challenge to raise awareness of NGAW and GGT
Did you know it is National Grief Awareness Week 2nd – 8th December?
We would love you to get involved in raising awareness by simply going for a walk this week and posting the number of steps or
distance (in miles or km) that you have covered!
Some of our OCL team will be getting outside to improve our wellbeing and doing as many steps as we can!
All you need to do is:
- Go for a walk this week and record the number of steps you have done.
- Post the total number of steps or miles you have done below!
- Tag someone else in this post!
We want to reach as many steps / miles as we can and raise awareness of
grief support! This is happening all week with a conclusion of the Virtual Step Challenge at the end!
Grief Gatherings – Small Group conversations about grief and grieving
Organised by Fevered Sleep.
Guest Grief Gatherings are small, free group conversations open to all, hosted by guests of Fevered Sleep. As part of their project This Grief Thing, arts organisation Fevered Sleep have created Grief Gatherings. They’re small, free group conversations about grief and they’re open to all.
We believe there are many ways to grieve and to talk about grief, so we’ve invited special guests to host their own Grief Gatherings in any way they choose.
We’ll be co-hosting this session with BrumYODO, a community collective which creates opportunities for the people of Birmingham to have more open and honest conversations about death and dying.
It is part of a national and international social movement which believes that everyone is entitled to a good death.
We’re really keen to hear from all sorts of people about how easy or difficult they find it to talk about their own or other people’s grief. There is no obligation to talk, you’re welcome to just sit and listen.
The Grief Gathering will last approximately 1 ½ hours, takes place on Zoom, and it’s free to attend but booking is essential.
If you require captioning or a Sign Language interpreter, or for any other queries, please contact: [email protected]
03 December 2020
Launch of the BAMEStream Bereavement Support Service
BAMEStream is an alliance of practitioners, therapists, policy specialists, organisations, activists and academia who specialise in the areas of mental health and wellbeing and who’s core purpose during this Covid-19 pandemic is to bring the mental health needs of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community into the mainstream.
Adapting Bereavement Support to Virtual Delivery
As part of National Grief Awareness Week, we are delivering a two-hour Zoom webinar, kindly sponsored by Full Circle Funerals. This training is aimed at professionals working within funeral and/or bereavement care to help increase skills and confidence in providing virtual support to bereaved people.
Venue: Via Zoom
Lockdown restrictions have meant that many professionals have found themselves increasingly supporting bereaved people via online platforms. This short session will assist participants to explore some of the similarities and differences between working in person and via Zoom (and similar platforms), identifying their benefits and challenges. Please note that places are limited. Thanks to Full Circle Funeral’s support of this event, we are only asking for a small donation to secure your place.
A Love That Never Dies
To mark Grief Awareness Week (2-8 December) we are delighted to be joined by Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds co – founders of The Good Grief Project www.thegoodgriefproject.co.uk and Directors of the award winning documentary A Love That Never Dies. They will be in conversation with Gary Andrews (A.K.A. @GaryScribbler) artist, cartoonist and animator. Gary was widowed when his wife Joy died suddenly of sepsis in late 2017.
04 December 2020
Sign Along With Us – Choir
On bereaved childrens day, the brilliant Sign Along with Us Choir, runners up in Britians Got Talent 2020, will launch a fundrasing video for The Good Grief Trust.
05 December 2020
Coop Memorial Service
Losing a loved one at any time is heart-breaking, but the pandemic has added an extra layer of grief.
Many have been unable to host or even attend funerals to say their goodbyes because of the new restrictions.
Christmas is now just around the corner and this can also add to the misery if you have lost someone close to you.
It can seem that everyone around you is having a great time celebrating and looking forward to the New Year, while you are looking back and remembering those you have lost.
Co-op Funeralcare knows this year will be very different for everyone, but they are still there to support bereaved families.
That’s why instead of hosting its usual memorial services in funeral homes, this year it is set to broadcast a virtual memorial service for the nation online on December 5 2020 at 3pm.
The service will begin with a national welcome featuring guest speaker Linda Magistris, founder of The Good Grief Trust, as well as candle lighting, singing and a special performance from the Co-op choir, before switching to local broadcasts specific to seven regions across Great Britain.
Each service will consist of special guest speakers, as well as readings, poems and music.
Bereaved families are also being invited to share messages and photos of loved ones to be shown during broadcasts.
If you’d like to join the virtual memorial service, please register using the link.
Gary Andrews (Scribbler) – Doodle Hour Workshop
We are thrilled to confirm that our friend Gary Andrews (the Scribbler) will be supporting our National Grief Awareness Week campaign by hosting a Doodle Hour Workshop, on Saturday 5th December at 5pm for our Men’s Grief Day.
Gary will be taking questions and doodling during the session, talking about the loss of his wife Joy and how sketching helped him process his grief.
Gary has also kindly offered to raffle his drawings on the night to raise funds for Good Grief.
Keeping a diary is a common and therapeutic habit, allowing an order to the cluttered thoughts and emotions that occur throughout our daily lives. Naturally, if you are a Disney animator, your diary can take on a visual format to become a ‘doodle diary.’
This is what former Disney animation professional Gary Andrews started doing on his 54th birthday, as a happily married father-of-two, documenting the joy of family life with his beautiful wife and children.
Sadly, tragedy was to strike, and Gary would become a widower and a single parent within three years.
Springhill Hospice Light of Life
Light up a Life helps you celebrate the memories of your nearest and dearest by dedicating a light on Springhill’s Light up a Life tree, whilst your donation will help patients and families who need hospice care this Christmas.
You will receive a personalised commemorative card to display in your home, bearing the name(s) of your loved one(s), and a dedication star which you can personalise with your own memory or message.
06 December 2020
Sign Along With Us – Choir
The fantastic Sign Along with Us Choir, runners up in Britains Got Talent 2020 will launch a very special song on the 6th December, diversity day. It will be across all The Good Grief Trusts platforms – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
Soundbyte from Bishop John Arnold, Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford in support of the National Grief Awareness week
This Podcast will be shared across The Good Grief Trust Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
St Anns Hospice, Light a Life
Our Light up a Life appeal gives you the opportunity to celebrate the life of a loved one. This year, it’s also an opportunity to mark something close to your heart.
You’re invited to remember a loved one, whether they have been a patient at St Ann’s or not, or someone who just can’t be with you at this time of year. Or you might light a light for the other losses you have felt this year, like occasions you couldn’t celebrate as planned or time lost with family and friends.
Join our service on social media at 1pm, Sunday 6th December.
Bury Hospice, Light up a Life
Bury Hospice’s annual remembrance service entitled ‘Light up a Life’ is an important and greatly valued moment in the hospice’s calendar.Bury Hospice’s ‘Light up a Life’ service is an event that takes place during the festive season, bringing our community together to remember, reflect and celebrate the lives of loved ones, and those who have touched our lives during this year. An important part of the afternoon is the opportunity to remember the person close to your heart by lighting a candle and recording their name in our book of online memories.Please consider joining us in December at our ‘light up a Life’ event which is a celebration of the memories of those most precious to us. Everyone who would like to experience our Light up a Life event can do so by joining us online within your own home (as we are providing Light up a Life packs).
Grief Gatherings – Small Group conversations about grief and grieving
Organised by Fevered Sleep.
Guest Grief Gatherings are small, free group conversations open to all, hosted by guests of Fevered Sleep. As part of their project This Grief Thing, arts organisation Fevered Sleep have created Grief Gatherings. They’re small, free group conversations about grief and they’re open to all.
We believe there are many ways to grieve and to talk about grief, so we’ve invited special guests to host their own Grief Gatherings in any way they choose.
We’ll be co-hosting this session with BrumYODO, a community collective which creates opportunities for the people of Birmingham to have more open and honest conversations about death and dying.
It is part of a national and international social movement which believes that everyone is entitled to a good death.
We’re really keen to hear from all sorts of people about how easy or difficult they find it to talk about their own or other people’s grief. There is no obligation to talk, you’re welcome to just sit and listen.
The Grief Gathering will last approximately 1 ½ hours, takes place on Zoom, and it’s free to attend but booking is essential.
If you require captioning or a Sign Language interpreter, or for any other queries, please contact: [email protected]
Interfaith activites
Interfaith Webinar – Moving from Life to Death to Life Again
This Webinar will open conversations around interfaith support for the bereaved and discuss how we move from life to death to life again.
Our Guest Speaker will be Mitch Winehouse, who will talk about his experience of grief after the death of his daughter, Amy. We have invited a panel of faith leaders to join us, who will be able to take questions from our attendees. Rabbi Daniel Epstein: ‘Faith provides an equilibrium, it is restorative and can help you get through difficult times. Mitch has channelled his sense of loss into helping younger people through challenging times understanding that when people are emotionally compromised, they can make wrong decisions.
Dr Kershaws Hospice, Light up a Life
The festive period is a time of year when we remember those who are no longer with us and the difference they made to our lives. Our Light Up a Life service is for those who would like to join together with their local community to celebrate the special people who have helped to light up their life, no matter their faith, culture or connection to the Hospice.
Our annual Light Up a Life appeal is unique as it allows you to remember your lost loved ones in a positive way. Your participation is not only a symbol of your remembrance but a way to show your support to those in need in your community during the festive period.
Every December, Light Up a Life brings together families and friends to remember loved ones during an evening service in the grounds of Dr Kershaw’s Hospice. During the service, our dedication tree is illuminated with each light representing a life. This year’s event, to make it safe for our supporters, volunteers and staff at the Hospice will be a virtual service and we hope that you can join us!
Our virtual service will be taking place on Sunday 6th December at 7 pm on our Facebook page, our You Tube channel and over the airwaves on Oldham Communtity Radio 99.7FM as our community comes together to celebrate the lives of those we love.
07 December 2020
Donut Day
On the 7th December every year, Freddie’s Wish has a campaign called #DonutDay.
On the 7th December 2014, Freddie (the son of Charlotte, the founder of the charity) was involved in a tragic road traffic accident that ended up taking his life at just 13 months old.
That morning Charlotte and Freddie woke up as normal, had their porridge and followed it with a little Christmas treat of 2 mini donuts each. Freddie ate one and took a bite out the other. Charlotte was in a rush to get him ready so the half eaten donut was then left on the highchair. Freddie then left with his Dad, and then heartbreakingly Charlotte came home 5 days later without him and the half eaten Donut was still left on the highchair.
So as a family they decided to do something positive on this painful anniversary and #DonutDay was started. So the aim of this day is they ask people to take a selfie of themselves eating a Donut and use #DonutDay and tag Freddie’s Wish on social media. They have found this to be a wonderful way to remember Freddie, but also to break the taboo around bereavement, get people talking and show how you can do something positive even on the worst days. We really hope that you will help support them this year and help them to sugar coat grief! Charlotte hopes her story can become someone’s hope!
Origami for Comfort
Find comfort through folding paper while being with others who have suffered from loss.
Discover soothing calm from folding paper with Dr Lizzie Burns who helps people of all ages discover Origami for wellbeing. Learn to fold flowers and hearts with others as part of support during National Grief Awareness Week.
This event is part of ‘Made with gLove’ from Origami Pulse supported by a Community Fund from the National Lottery: https://origamipulse.com/made-with-glove/ in collaboration with The Good Grief Trust https://www.thegoodgrieftrust.org/.
Widowed and Young Virtual Open Evening
Throughout the week, WAY will be sharing our members’ stories to help break down the taboos around grief and bereavement during this particularly poignant year.
On Monday, 7 December, we will be holding a WAY Open Evening from 6-7pm for people who would like to find out more about WAY. The event will be a chance to hear from some of our members, volunteers and staff, who will be explaining more about our charity and how it works.We look forward to sharing our stories throughout National Grief Awareness Week – and to meeting you on Monday evening!
Zoom link: https://bit.ly/36uisKP
Meeting ID: 973 6716 6545
Passcode: 808833
Grief Gatherings – Small Group conversations about grief and grieving.
Organised by Fevered Sleep.
Guest Grief Gatherings are small, free group conversations open to all, hosted by guests of Fevered Sleep. As part of their project This Grief Thing, arts organisation Fevered Sleep have created Grief Gatherings. They’re small, free group conversations about grief and they’re open to all.
We believe there are many ways to grieve and to talk about grief, so we’ve invited special guests to host their own Grief Gatherings in any way they choose.
We’ll be co-hosting this session with BrumYODO, a community collective which creates opportunities for the people of Birmingham to have more open and honest conversations about death and dying.
It is part of a national and international social movement which believes that everyone is entitled to a good death.
We’re really keen to hear from all sorts of people about how easy or difficult they find it to talk about their own or other people’s grief. There is no obligation to talk, you’re welcome to just sit and listen.
The Grief Gathering will last approximately 1 ½ hours, takes place on Zoom, and it’s free to attend but booking is essential.
If you require captioning or a Sign Language interpreter, or for any other queries, please contact: [email protected]
Queer Culture Club and The Grief Network
Queer Culture Club and The Grief Network are hosting a joint panel on individual and collective grief within the LGBTQIA+ community. The discussion is a chance to open the conversation up about how grief is articulated, how to support those grieving, and also how we can understand the impact of collective grief such as those caused by COVID19, the impact of AIDS/HIV as well as the collective mourning and collective action of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The event will take place on Monday 7th December 8-9pm over Zoom and tickets can be found here: https://www.outsavvy.com/event/5489/ngaw-2020-with-the-grief-network-x-queer-culture-club-tickets
The Grief Network – A community run by and for bereaved young people (teens/20s/30s) who hold regular meet ups and events in London. https://linktr.ee/griefnetwork.
Queer Culture Club – A collective for queer women and GNC folx in London. We run weekly events including life drawing, ‘Let it Draw’, ‘Make and Mingle’, a book club, comedy nights, fitness sessions and a discussion club. https://lnk.bio/cslw/
There are some incredible speakers lined up for this event who will be announced over the next week, so keep an eye on their social media!
Tickets are donation based, starting at £5 which will be split equally between TheGriefNetwork and MiseryParty who are a mental health collective and sober club night centring healing for queer/trans/nb BPOC. Free tickets are also available for those unable to offer a monetary donation at the moment. “
08 December 2020
GREATER MANCHESTER BEREAVEMENT SERVICE AWARENESS EVENT
You’re invited to find out more about the work of the Greater Manchester Bereavement Service, which was set up in April 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Commissioned by Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, the service is run by Six Degrees and provides assistance to people who are bereaved, linking them to local support when required.
You’ll hear from Dr Linda Gask, Emerita Professor at University of Manchester and Greater Manchester Bereavement Service Clinical Lead, who will talk about the impact of the pandemic and isolation on those grieving and explain how Greater Manchester Bereavement Service meets the challenges of bereavement during Covid-19.
The event is also an opportunity to find out how the service complements the support that is available across the city-region.”
St. Paul’s Cathedral Evensong Service of Remembrance and Hope
Time: 5 – 6pm, by invitation only;
The Good Grief Trust are working in partnership with St. Paul’s Cathedral for our 2020 campaign.
We are passionate to help raise the profile of our charity partners and ensure the bereaved know of the breadth of support services available this Christmas and beyond.The Bishop of London will be present to give a reflection on grief and loss.
We have invited the Mayor of London to speak at the service and invitations have been sent to The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, the Minister for Bereavement, Nadine Dorries MP, and our APPG members.
The BBC will be in attendance, to interview guests, VIPs, and dignitaries and to broadcast the illumination of the Dome, live on the BBC news at 6pm.
Virtual GM interfaith Service from Manchster Cathedral
Unofficial National Minute’s Silence
We ask the nation to join us in a Minute’s Silence at 5pm to remember those who have died and to support those grieving through Covid19, or under any circumstance.
UK Buildings lighting up in yellow
On the final day of the campaign – 8th December at 6pm – we will be lighting the Central Dome at St. Paul’s Cathedral yellow and with NGAW branding.
This illumination will be broadcast live on the BBC.
Many other buildings across the country, including Media City UK, Town Hall, Cathedrals, Lighthouses and bridges will be joining us, as a beacon of hope to all those in need of help.
Illumination of St. Paul’s Cathedral Dome
On the final day of the campaign – 8th December at 6pm – we will be lighting the Central Dome at St. Paul’s Cathedral yellow and with NGAW branding.
This illumination will be broadcast live on the BBC.
Many other buildings across the country, including Media City UK, Town Hall, Cathedrals, Lighthouses and bridges will be joining us, as a beacon of hope to all those in need of help.
Online Singing group
As part of National Grief Awareness Week 2020, The Swan Song Project invites you to join us for a special session of our online singing group.
This sessions are a time for you to relax, breathe and sing. Bring a cuppa, join us in zoom and experience group singing online. This session will be hosted by Swan Song Founder Ben Buddy Slack and facilitated by Affiliate Artist Jess Baker. Jess has a wide selection of beautiful songs and will teach each part before putting all the parts together using a loop pedal.
Harmony in Living and Dying Approach Workshop
As a finale in Grief Awareness Week, we are calling out to people who are searching for harmony at a challenging time in their lives.
Maybe you are faced with the reality of your own mortality or that of someone close to you. Join an online meeting, to find out about a practical approach to living, dying, death and grief, drawing on ancient wisdom traditions and modern science. Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales’s book ‘Harmony: a new way of looking at our world’, we will combine Nature’s principles of Harmony (cycles, interconnectedness, diversity, adaptation, beauty, oneness) with science, geometry, meditation, movement, music, poetry, philosophy and stories, to prepare people better for various aspects of end-of-life care and
to inspire people to live fully in the here and now.
Join us for meaningful discussions about the sacred mystery of death, the process of dying and a conscious realisation of the miracle of living.
We will explore two principles of Harmony: the cyclical patterns and the interconnectedness – interdependence of everything in Nature.
When we notice the cycles and connections in Nature and within us, it raises some questions:
- how to live fully and die gracefully?
- how to cultivate togetherness, connections and to look out for each other?
- can Nature’s patterns help us find peace when dealing with loss and grief?
Together we will draw a simple geometric pattern found all over the natural world, which symbolises the cycle of life, death and regeneration.
Please bring some paper, a pencil and a compass or something round to draw around for the session. There will be time for discussion and questions.