At the start of National Grief Awareness Week, The Parish Trust is delighted to announce its appointment as Wales’ national ambassador for The Bereavement Journey, in partnership with AtaLoss, a national charity dedicated to helping bereaved people find support and wellbeing. This collaboration aims to extend access to high-quality bereavement support throughout Wales, ensuring that no one has to face grief alone.
The Bereavement Journey is a structured programme designed to help those who have experienced loss navigate their grief and do their own grief work in a safe and supportive environment. The programme offers guided sessions, covering topics such as understanding the impact of grief, dealing with anger and guilt, and finding hope for the future, alongside opportunities for peer support.
As the national ambassador for this programme in Wales, The Parish Trust will play a pivotal role in encouraging and supporting organisations, particularly churches, to establish The Bereavement Journey in their communities, equipping them to support those experiencing bereavement.
AtaLoss is a leading bereavement charity in the UK, dedicated to ensuring that bereaved people can access the support they need, when they need it. They provide a UK wide signposting and information website, helping individuals find local and national support services and resources, as well as training for those supporting the bereaved. AtaLoss aims to break down barriers to accessing support, helping individuals to find a path through their grief and connect with others who understand their experience.
As part of it’s work to empower other organisations, The Parish Trust will continue to expand its own bereavement support services, having supported hundreds of individuals and families since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parish Trust will also assist AtaLoss in strengthening their online resources and training, ensuring that bereaved individuals across Wales can access support both in person and virtually.
The Revd Dean Aaron Roberts, CEO of The Parish Trust, said,
Our vision is to see a network of churches and organisations across Wales empowered to support bereaved individuals through The Bereavement Journey. Building on our own bereavement support services, this partnership with AtaLoss enables us to extend our support and offer The Bereavement Journey nationally, bringing hope and understanding to bereaved people in their time of need.
By assisting with AtaLoss’s online provision and training, we are committed to ensuring that anyone who is grieving can access the support they deserve, wherever they are in Wales, and whenever the loss.
The Revd Canon Yvonne Tulloch, CEO of AtaLoss added:
The Parish Trust is the first of several organisations wishing to support the growth of The Bereavement Journey to other nations, and we’re absolutely delighted to be partnering with them to extend the programme’s reach. The speed of The Bereavement Journey’s growth – to over 380 locations since its update last year – is testimony to the programme’s effectiveness and demand. We hope that continued take up will make a real difference to our society so affected by unsupported and unresolved grief.
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