A decade of vital grief support

We want to make sure that no one faces grief alone. This is why we launched our Online Bereavement Community in June 2015, to provide a place where people can talk to others with similar experiences, share feelings and support each other. Free to access, the community is available around the clock, at a time when people need it most.

Initially funded using money raised through our partnership with Morrisons, over the past decade the community has become a lifeline for thousands, offering comfort and connection to people across the UK. It has grown greatly in size and is helping more people than ever.

You might remember reading about our ‘Back for a Moment’ campaign in the previous edition of ‘Thank you’. Our campaign, featuring real people and highlighting the loneliness of grief, drove more people to seek our bereavement support. We reached our highest-ever community sign-ups and posts, and hit the milestone of 40,000 members.

Over the past decade the community has made a real difference to people, including Debbie. Her husband, Doug, died after a prolonged period of ill health in 2021. Just before the first anniversary of his death, Debbie discovered our community and uploaded her first post.

“You say to yourself, ‘Is this normal?’. But reading others’ experiences lets you know that it is.

“I can tell people things on the forum I would never dream of sharing, even with my own children. When I’m feeling awful and I don’t know where to turn, the forum is the place to go. If you’re having a down day, you can go on and say how you’re feeling, and someone always responds almost straight away.”