CRUSE IS ‘MOVING FORWARD’ WITH SUPPORT OF MANX LOTTERY TRUST

A project to support bereaved families has received a significant boost with a grant from Manx Lottery Trust, as delegated partner of The National Lottery Community Fund.

Cruse Bereavement Care Isle of Man has been awarded £7,000 for its Moving Forward initiative, which helps families deal with and adjust to significant change in their lives while focusing on the six central needs of grief: reality, pain, remembering, support, new roles and meaning.

The charity provides confidential support for people of all ages and over the last three decades has helped more than 3,500 adults, children and young people in need in the Isle of Man. Its aim is to promote the wellbeing of bereaved people and allow anyone bereaved to understand their grief and cope with their loss, as well as raise public awareness of the impact of grief on everyday life.

Support volunteers are drawn from various backgrounds and undergo special training in the process of grieving and working with people, including those affected by sudden death, suicide and the death of a child.

Joney Faragher, who works with children and young people for Cruse, said: ‘Research in recent years shows that the most effective support for bereaved children and young people is in the family context.

‘The Moving Forward project is required to help local families process a death in the family, make sense of the bereavement and to Move Forward both in their family life and as individuals.’

Amanda Cafearo, Chief Executive Officer, added: ‘A sincere thank you to Manx Lottery Trust for its support which will increase our ability to reach out to people who need our services and allow our team to work pre-emptively with bereaved families.’

Cruse’s Moving Forward project will aim:

• To reduce the isolation experienced by many bereaved families

• To increase confidence and resilience

• Support families to deal with their grief personally and together

• Help families understand death and what it means to them

• Encourage and support children and families to share and understand the feelings, thoughts and individual ways of coping with changes and/or loss

• Support families to find ways of remembering the person who has died and to encourage and support children and families to talk openly with each other about the person

• Work together with the family to allow them to understand each other’s emotions and grief and understand that, for each family member, there are different stages in their healing

Chairman of Manx Lottery Trust Sarah Kelly explained: ‘Cruse offers such an invaluable service to many people in the Island who know that confidential help is there if they are struggling to cope. We are glad this funding will assist the team in its work with those who are grieving and need support.’

For more information about Cruse Bereavement Care Isle of Man, visit: www.cruseisleofman.org/ or email: [email protected]

To find out more about the work of the Manx Lottery Trust visit: www.mlt.org.im