Funeral Partners gives away grief support book

Funeral Partners has provided copies of a grief support book for children ahead of National Grief Awareness Week (2nd to 8 December 2020) to help bereaved children with their grief.

A number of Funeral Partners funeral homes across England and Northern Ireland are now offering the interactive book of remembrance aimed at answering some tough questions and help children “articulate special memories” of the loved one they have lost.

Martyn Jeynes, Huntleys Funeral Services, said: “During the lockdown we’ve had a lot of children who have sadly lost their grandma or grandpa and they may not have seen them for several months. In some cases, the last time they saw them they were being taken away in an ambulance.

“For adults, it’s been bad enough, but for the children it’s been a traumatic time. I think the book is excellent to help put things into perspective, to remember the person they’ve lost and to talk about the things that will happen after their death to say goodbye.”

Each page of the fully illustrated book aims to help the reader “evoke memories of their loved one through the senses and encourages them to put pen to paper”.

The book includes photographs of people and places which act as reminders of “happy times” and explains the meanings of words to children who might be unfamiliar with them.

Andrew Neale, James Brown and Sons Funeral Directors, said: “Throughout this year we have seen the upset and confusion on the faces of children attending funerals who are not only trying to make sense of the death of a loved one but also the disruption to their daily lives due to the pandemic.

“Caring is at the heart of our business and since we cannot offer any physical comfort to the bereaved at this time, we want to reach out to offer support through the provision of these remembrance books which we trust will be of some comfort and help to the little ones who maybe can’t quite comprehend what is going on around them.”