Specialist bereavement support organisations

The Oddfellows' teams are not trained to offer specialist bereavement support. If at any stage you feel that your grief is having a permanent impact on your life and your mood, or you are struggling to cope, you should talk this through with your doctor, or with a bereavement support organisation. 

Here are some trusted organisations with advice services.

Cruse Bereavement Care (cruse.org.uk)
Cruse Bereavement Care has a freephone national helpline staffed by trained bereavement volunteers. It offers emotional support to anyone affected by bereavement. Their helpline number is 0808 808 1677. You can also chat virtually using its Cruse Chat service.

The Good Grief Trust (thegoodgrieftrust.org)
The Good Grief Trust is run by, and for, people who are bereaved. Its website has a wide range of useful information and links to organisations and resources.

Independent Age (independentage.org)
Independent Age has a free online Grief Chat service for older people, where you can talk directly to a specially trained bereavement counsellor. You can access Grief Chat here: https://www.independentage.org/information/personal-life/grief-chat

Samaritans (samaritans.org)
24 hours a day, you can talk with a trained Samaritan volunteer about anything that’s troubling you, no matter how large or small the issue feels. The freephone number to call is 116 123, or you can email jo@samaritans.org.

The Silver Line (thesilverline.org.uk)
The Silver Line has a free, confidential 24-hour helpline which provides information, friendship and advice to older people. The number to call is 0800 4 70 80 90.

The Compassionate Friends (tcf.org.uk)
The Compassionate Friends offers support for bereaved families after the death of a child of any age, and from any cause. Their UK helpline is staffed by bereaved parents, and the number to call is 0345 123 2304, or you can email helpline@tcf.org.uk

Child Bereavement UK (childbereavementuk.org)
Child Bereavement UK offers support to children and young people (up to age 25), parents, and families, to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. Their freephone national helpline number is 0800 02 888 40 or you can email support@childbereavementuk.org. They also run a Live Chat service from their website.

Marie Curie Bereavement Support (mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/bereavement)
Marie Curie offers free bereavement support by calling 0800 090 2309. You can discuss practical and emotional concerns with one of their trained Support Line Officers or get ongoing support from a bereavement volunteer. Whether your bereavement was expected, happened recently or was some time ago, they can help. They can also support you before your loved one dies.

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