New Creative Bereavement Support Group Launches
A new kind of support group is being launched in Altrincham later this month which will encourage people to use creativity to support their wellbeing following bereavement.
The initiative is a collaboration between Jo Cushing of Inch Arts and Sara Fixter of Full Circle Funeral Partners in Altrincham, who teamed up last year on “Art After Loss”, an exhibition of pieces created to support well-being after loss and bereavement. The success of that event inspired the women to launch this new group.
The Altrincham Creative Bereavement Support Group is being funded by a donation from Full Circle Funeral Partners’ Forever Manchester Fund and Trafford Community Collective, on behalf of Trafford Council via their Trafford Public Health in Art – UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The group will meet weekly at Inch Arts in Altrincham, which has been running creative and wellbeing workshops for 10 years. Previous workshops have included autistic animation, creative art and creative writing.
It will be led by Olivia Goodwin, Creative and Therapeutic Art Facilitator. Olivia has worked with a number of charities and community organisations, leading creative and therapeutic groups.
Olivia said: “We will begin gently with non-bereavement focused creative activities and the whole process will be collaborative as we are guided by everyone involved and their own particular interests.
“No previous experience of art or creative skill is required and this will be a safe environment where people can go at their own pace and explore thoughts and feelings that may flow from our activities.”
Sara Fixter, funeral director at Full Circle Funeral Partners in Altrincham and a registered Cruse Bereavement Volunteer, will also be available during a number of the sessions.
Sara said: “People often tell me that creativity – whether that’s writing a letter or a poem, making music, drawing a picture or something else – has really helped their wellbeing after bereavement.
“Everyone experiences loss in different ways and people’s creative responses to grief are very individual.
“The idea of the group is to offer an opportunity to explore and express emotions that can be difficult to put into words.”
The Altrincham Creative Bereavement Support Group is free to attend and all materials are included. It is open to all who have experienced loss and bereavement and starts on Wednesday 31 January, initially running for 22 weeks (participants are not expected to attend every session and will be able to miss sessions and catch up later).
Numbers are limited to 12 spaces in order to facilitate individual attention and tuition. Each session will begin at 11.45 am for a 12 noon start and finish around 1.15pm. There is no charge, but places must be booked in advance by visiting Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/creative-bereavement-group-tickets-791010933997 and please email [email protected] with any questions.