New friendship support group tackles bereavement

The coffee mornings, held by Help in Bereavement, are at St Mary’s Community Building in St Mary’s Road, Fratton.

On the fourth Monday of the month, from 10am to 12pm, residents dealing with the grief, loneliness or social isolation caused by the loss of a loved one are invited to meet new friends and enjoy a hot cuppa.

The next meeting is on January 22 and Jean Clarke, a representative for Help-in-Bereavement, said: ‘I joined this group a few years ago after losing my husband. I went to the doctor as I couldn’t sleep and he referred me to this well-recognised service.

‘It has helped me so much. We have booked the hall for the year. We know it can take a while for people to get the confidence to come down. You don’t have to talk about what’s happened to you.

‘It’s simply a group of people meeting for a drink, having a chat and making new friends.’

If you would like more information, visit help-in-bereavement.co.uk, contact Jean on 07821 669022 or call the HIB co-ordinator on 07432 602613.