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"Such a supportive weekend...a big warm hug"

January retreat weekend in Northamptonshire
(formerly know as the National Gathering)

“Such a supportive weekend. I described it as a big warm hug. Emotional and exhausting at times, but mainly supportive, inspiring and helpful. I would definitely recommend it.”

The last weekend of January saw over 100 bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents came together for our retreat weekend in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside.  Attendees participated in a range of activities, including sharing sessions, art, writing and creative workshops, yoga, crafting, walking and much more.

We heard from 2 guest speakers including Efrem Brynin, CEO of the charity Strongmen, who spoke about the loss of his son, James, who tragically died on a tour of duty in Afghanistan, his journey since the death of James, including the founding of Strongmen and the peer-to-peer support they offer to bereaved men.  

Our second speaker was twice-bereaved sibling, Rachael Claye and you can read a transcript of her talk here.

Thank you to our guest speakers and to all the wonderful volunteers who offered their support and understanding to participants. Thank you to the workshop, activities and sharing session facilitators who kindly donated their time and expertise to create such a successful and beneficial weekend.

We have received some wonderful feedback.

“I was anxious about the retreat weekend, but upon our arrival there was a friendly face to greet us in the car park and show us where to go. This continued throughout the weekend I can honestly say that I have never met such a wonderful group of people in my life so supportive and listening and for the first time in ten months people who got it because they had suffered a loss. I also went to the workshops on crafting and painting and discovered that at the age of 70 I can paint. My youngest son was a wonderful artist so I feel the connection with him. Thank you Compassionate Friends for being there.”

“The sharing sessions...wonderful! It is such a relief to be able to speak freely without worrying about upsetting others. The volunteers did a wonderful job of leading these sessions”.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to feedback to us your thoughts on the weekend. We do consider all the feedback we receive and use your comments to continue to develop and improve our retreats and support days.

Some parents were kind enough to share their thoughts about their weekend at the retreat. See below.