For just over a year, The Good Grief Café has offered a space for people to talk about grief and loss. The group was developed by Nicola Duffell (centre in the photo) and is co-facilitated with Reverend James McDonald and the Hospice. It is held at All Saints Church in Kings Langley on the first Friday of the month and is open to everyone.
Nicola, who volunteers at the Hospice, shared her motivation for setting up the group. “When someone we love dies, our foundations fall away,” she explained. “In a society where grief is hidden in the shadows, I wanted to offer a place where people could come together and feel less alone in their grief.”
Each gathering at The Good Grief Café starts informally with a cup of tea and a biscuit. Then, one of the group facilitators brings in a gentle theme – for instance, how the seasons impact grief. Anyone can share, but there’s no pressure to speak. “If you come to listen, that’s just as valuable as if you speak. We need listening in our grief, too,” Nicola said.
Different generations, from young to old, attend the Café, and some have shared their relief at finding a place where they can speak freely about grief.
The Café doesn’t aim to ‘fix’ grief but instead provides a space where people can share their deepest heartbreaks and develop an ongoing relationship with grief. “We wouldn’t expect our love to have a finite end, and grief comes from love,” Nicola said. “The Grief Café is a place where everyone is welcome.”
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