11 November 2021, 19.00 – 20.30

Online Via Zoom

We're sorry but this group is now fully booked. Sometimes we do have cancellations so if you would like to attend please email us at events@tcf.org.uk to go on the waiting list or have priority for the next group. Thank you.

BEREAVED BY A SUDDEN ACCIDENT

This group is for parents whose child died suddenly from an accident, including drowning, taking part in sports or other outdoor pursuits or an accident in the home.

If your child died suddenly in other ways such as a sudden illness, road traffic incident, suicide, or by drugs or alcohol we're so sorry but we may be unable to offer you a place on this group as it may not be appropriate for you.

We do hope you will find support through other specialist online groups run by TCF, your local support group or through other services we run.

When our child dies without warning, the shock and disbelief we suffer is overwhelming. It leaves us reeling; our world is rocked to the very core. How can this be true? This is even more shocking when the death is sudden.

There is no chance to prepare, but mostly there is no opportunity to say goodbye. In the blink of an eye so many aspects of our life are changed forever.

Our world comes to a sudden stop in that instant and we feel out of time, out of place. The enormity of what has happened sinks in only gradually.

At this time we are running this event as a facilitated online group using Zoom. Due to the nature of online groups we will be limiting the number of attendees and booking is via our website. We will confirm your attendance by email.

If this event is fully booked we are hoping to run further groups at a later date to give more parents the opportunity to attend. Please note we will be giving priority to parents who have not attended an online group before.

Once you book you will receive more details closer to the meeting date. Just a reminder to check your spam or junk email folders if you haven’t received the link for the online meeting by the day of the meeting. Please contact info@tcf.org.uk if you have any questions or queries.

Please note that these online events are run by bereaved parent volunteers. Our volunteers are not professionals and so what we offer is a uniquely warm, comforting and supportive online group organised and facilitated by parents who have also experienced the loss of a child and have found understanding and hope themselves through The Compassionate Friends.

If you are newly bereaved:
Please note, our online support group meetings may not be the most appropriate form of support for very newly bereaved parents. We know how vulnerable we can be in the early weeks and months of our grief and how raw the pain and heartache can feel.

In an online support environment, we will of course do all we can to express our empathy to newly bereaved parents verbally but we won’t be able to offer the very important physical presence and contact that physical groups can offer especially when parents become very upset. Our online meetings tend to be shorter than physical meetings which also means that we won’t have as much time to hear from all group members in the ways in which we would do if we were meeting face to face.

We know that in the early days of our grief, there is a strong need to tell our ‘story’ about the loss of our precious child. We know that this is a very important part of grieving – however, our support groups, whether online or face to face can only offer the opportunity to say a little about your loss and in not too much detail so as to enable everyone to have a chance to speak and also to minimise the risk of anyone attending being re-traumatised around their own loss by hearing graphic details of someone else’s loss. It would help to know how early you are in your loss and whether you are already receiving TCF support – what we don’t wish to do is increase the vulnerability of any bereaved parent by not managing your expectations about what our support group offers and is unable to offer. We may make contact if we need to explore with you whether our online group support is the most appropriate way to support you at this stage in your loss.

Please note this group is for bereaved parents in the UK only – if you want to join from abroad please contact us on events@tcf.org.uk