A drop-in session for those coping with bereavement, run by St Nicholas Hospice Care, held at the Thurst Café in the New Green Community Centre, in Thurston.

This drop-in session will be held every fortnight on a Thursday, alternating between the morning and afternoon.

The Bereavement Café is a space where people can talk about the pain of loss and also find courage and strength in knowing they are not alone.

You may be more of a talker or better at quietly listening, but that doesn’t matter as the café is intended to be a place where emotions can be expressed freely and stories can be shared.

The St Nicholas Hospice Care Psychological Services Team, which leads the project, explains: “Grief can turn your world upside down and make you feel lost.

“Talking about how you feel can help. Everyone experiences grief in a unique way. We want the Bereavement Café to be a place where people who have had similar experiences can share their stories.

“The idea behind the Bereavement Café is to make the whole process of grief more natural and by letting it back into society hopefully we will be able to take away some of the stigma that it has to happen behind closed doors.”

The drop-in is not designed to be a counselling session; it is a supportive environment for reflection and conversation, a place where people will be able to find mutual support and encouragement when they need it most.

All sessions will be overseen by trained Hospice volunteers who will be able to offer further advice and guidance.

Dates and times for the Thurston Bereavement Cafe are:

• Thursday, 25 April at 2pm
• Thursday, 9 May at 10am
• Thursday, 23 May at 2pm

Please call the Hospice’s Psychological Services Team (01284 715572) or check the Hospice’s website to make sure that the group is going ahead. You can also email Psychological.Services@stnh.org.uk.