Bereavement Care & Sources of Help
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Bereavement Care & sources of help This list has been put together by volunteers to try and bring together information that may be of help to our community during the coronavirus pandemic, other websites and services will also be available. Also please note we are not medical professionals. For up to date medical advice you should continue to check the NHS website for further announcements. Other leaflets have also been produced at this time relating to for example Mental Health and Wellbeing (links within the leaflet contain sections on bereavement) & Pastoral Guidance. NHS Most people experience grief when they lose something or someone important to them. If these feelings are affecting your life, there are things you can try that may help.https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with- bereavement/ Find bereavement support services in your area via the NHS https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/other- services/Bereavement%20support/LocationSearch/314 The NHS site provides links to key organisations and Government web sites. What to do after someone dies. https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death Bereavement Care and help Cruse Bereavement Care offers advice and support on dealing with bereavement and grief during the coronavirus outbreak ataloss.org provides the UK’s signposting website for the bereaved If you are supporting a bereaved child or young person the Childhood Bereavement Network has information and links to national and local organisations The Good Grief Trust If you have been affected by a bereavement during this crisis and need support, advice and guidance : Please call; national covid19 free helpline - 0800 2600 400 - 8am - 8pm ; Their web site provides practical help and tips as well as identifying local support networks. GriefChat - Is an online service, providing a safe space for grieving or bereaved people to be able to share their story, explore their feelings and be supported by a qualified bereavement counsellor. Using GriefChat is free of charge and is open Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm (UK time) to grieving or bereaved people. The Catholic Parish of St Columba and St Theresa, Chester. 10.06.20 V4 If they aren’t online, you can still send them a message using the chat box and they will reply as soon as they are back online Childline https://www.childline.org.uk/ Young Minds https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to- support-a-z/parents-guide-to-support-grief-and-loss/ Provides guidance for parents and guardians as well as the young person AgeUk Coping with Bereavement https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information- advice/health-wellbeing/relationships-family/bereavement/ Catholic resources around death and dying Our parish priests continue to be available during this coronavirus period, Parish Priest-Fr. William Damah CSSp & Assistant Priest - Fr. James Mchamungu CSSp. (See contact details at the end of the leaflet). Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference, has commended a new online resource on the many issues around death and dying. The Art of Dying Well is based in the Catholic tradition but is open to all. The site provides advice on death and dying during this time of Coronavirus as well as prayers and readings that may help in this time Death bed etiquette is also examined at this time of coronavirus time. Catholic rituals for the dying are also examined as well as what might happen in a time of Covid 19. Chester – local services Chester Hospitals’ Chaplaincy: Telephone 01244 364543 answer phone available. The Chaplain's role is to help cater for the Spiritual, Religious, and Pastoral needs of patients, relatives and staff. Please note the Hospital chaplaincy is continuing to provide 24/7 emergency support from on-call priests; all other volunteer chaplaincy work has been suspended. If a family member of yours is in hospital locally we would like to be able to provide support, please let us know, contact details above. Chester Council cemeteries and crematorium – information from the Councils web site 10.06.20 Please check the web site for updates. https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/news-and- views/incidents/coronavirus-covid-19/services/cemeteries-and-crematoria.aspx We have made some changes to keep our visitors and staff safe during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The Catholic Parish of St Columba and St Theresa, Chester. 10.06.20 V4 Council cemeteries The Council's cemeteries at Blacon, Ellesmere Port, Neston and Overleigh (Handbridge) remain open. Blacon, Neston, Overpool and Overleigh cemeteries are open 8am until 7pm Wharton Cemetery is open at all times This follows a change to Government legislation which means that only the crematorium is required to be closed (except for funerals) and not the grounds which surround them. Blacon crematorium The crematorium is only open for funerals. The book of remembrance is also available on-line at any time: Chester Crematorium online book of remembrance Chester Crematorium Office Our office at Chester Crematorium is currently closed to the general public. You can contact us at: Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01244 972428 Council cemeteries The Council's cemeteries at Blacon, Ellesmere Port, Neston and Overleigh (Handbridge) will remain open. Neston, Overpool and Overleigh cemeteries are open 8am until 7pm Wharton Cemetery is open at all times Changes to the funeral service We have made changes for funeral services as follows: In line with guidance from the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, funeral attendance is limited to 'immediate family' only - spouses/partners, parents/carers, siblings, children (and partners) At Blacon crematorium all visitors and staff are required to practice social distancing. In the crematorium chapel we have placed white labels on the pews to indicate a distance of two metres to help with this Visitors are discouraged from congregating in the crematorium chapel waiting area, but should instead stay in their cars until it is time to enter chapel for the funeral service Communal service books have been removed from the crematorium chapel as they are difficult to clean between services. Funeral Directors The Catholic Parish of St Columba and St Theresa, Chester. 10.06.20 V4 may provide service sheets instead which are removed at the end of the service. Additional waste bins have been provided near the crematorium chapel exit We have made hand sanitiser and disposable gloves available in the crematorium chapel for use by staff and visitors. Pews are wiped down with disinfectant after each service No new bookings for scattering of ashes or the burial of ashes are being taken at this time. Any bookings already made may only be carried out in accordance with any legislation, restrictions and/or Government guidance as appropriate Cremated remains will be collected from the crematorium by Funeral Directors rather than by family members. Thank you for your support and understanding during this difficult time. Safety When visiting a cemetery please take care as gravestone and headstones memorials can become unsafe. Please make sure that young children are supervised at all times and are not allowed to climb onto or interfere with memorials. For their own safety children under the age of 12 should always be accompanied by a person aged 16 or over when visiting a cemetery. Remember to maintain social distancing with other groups who may be visiting the cemetery. Your local Catholic Church contact details (office) Our priests continue to be available during this coronavirus period and they can be contacted via the following The St Theresa’s , Blacon, phone number will take you through to the office/ presbytery: . Parish Priest- Fr. William Damah CSSp, . Assistant Priest - Fr. James Mchamungu CSSp. St Columba’s church, Plas Newton Lane, Chester CH2 1PL Telephone: 01244 624019 Email [email protected] St Theresa’s church, 128 Blacon Avenue, Chester, CH1 5BU Telephone: 01244 371660 Email [email protected] Web https://stcolumbachester.wordpress.com We have answer machines so you can leave a message. Alternatively, you can email us at either of the addresses above. We will do our utmost to get back to you as soon as we can. The Catholic Parish of St Columba and St Theresa, Chester. 10.06.20 V4 If you know of any other links that you think should be included on the list above, please let us know. Likewise, if you have any problems with the links, again please inform us. We haven’t reviewed all of the content, so parents may need to watch before showing to children. Please Note that Individual T’s & C’s and costs may apply to some of the Services identified above. The Catholic Parish of St Columba and St Theresa, Chester. 10.06.20 V4 .