Connecting Communities Project

Connecting Communities was a collaboration which recognised Cruse and Co-op’s commitment to providing strong local bereavement support at community level. Responding to evidence showing that most people feel uncomfortable knowing how to support someone who is grieving, we worked together to build a programme to train individuals and organisations to recognise grief and how to support those affected.

Thanks to Co-op’s funding we were able to offer free online grief training sessions as well as a series of face to face sessions in twelve priority areas. This training explained the signs and processes of grief, how to broach the subject with a bereaved person and what can help when having a supportive conversation. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive:

“Having done this training I feel more confident in having conversations with our customers who are going through a bereavement”

“Before the training, I might have been unsure how to approach people when they are grieving. I am more aware now that there is no ‘right’ way to do this, and it’s more about how you support grieving people rather than what you say”

“It’s one of the best trainings I think I’ve ever had, of any content”

In addition to training over 1500 people, we co-created leaflets explaining how to support someone who is bereaved, incorporating designs from Nottingham University students to help reflect diverse communities. These leaflets have been distributed to community organisations and Cruse branches. Grief is, unfortunately, a universal experience and one we should not feel alone in facing. Our hope is that they will help normalise conversations around grief and equip people to feel confident when supporting someone who is bereaved.

Thank you to everyone involved in making this project such a success, from the brilliant trainers and enthusiastic participants to the community volunteers at Cruse and Co-op who made it happen. And of course, a huge thank you to our partners at Co-op for supporting this valuable and life-affirming work.