Compassion Autumn Winter 2023

30 tcf.org.uk TCF NEWS | SUPPORTIVE EVENTS Andy came to the weekend at Woodbrooke and he shared his reflections of his 2 days with TCF. “I am a bereaved father. My wife and I are grieving for our youngest son who ended his life in August 2018. I decided to write that short piece about my experiences of my first retreat with TCF, particularly in the hope of encouraging more men to attend. I would thoroughly recommend it. I haven’t been involved with TCF before and the thought of spending the weekend at a retreat with other grieving parents seemed crazy at first. Why would I want to put myself on that emotional roller-coaster ride again, especially with a large group of people experiencing their own turmoil? Having benefitted from some small group therapy after my son died, I decided to embrace the opportunity to tell anyone who would listen about our fabulous son, and if I got upset and cried along the way then I would deal with it. I figured that I needed to take part in the hope that it might make my joyless life more bearable. I’m not the ‘life and soul of the party’ sort of chap. I’m quiet and I’m quite happy with my own company. Finding myself amongst strangers that I would be with for a couple of days made me more anxious. We both went up to our room to unpack and take a breath, then into the sunroom for refreshments and a natter. These are just a few lines from the feedback from our retreat weekend for parents bereaved by suicide or substance or alcohol use held at Woodbrooke, Birmingham earlier this year. It was our last retreat at this lovely venue as they are sadly closing. Next year we will be at a venue in Leeds from 26-28 July. More details and booking will open in the new year. Reflections from attendees of our Woodbrooke retreat