Growing with grief: Stepping Stones Bereavement Support Services at Pilgrims Hospices
National Grief Awareness Week takes place 2-8 December 2025; this year, the theme is “growing with grief”, and Pilgrims Hospices is celebrating the growth of its Stepping Stones Bereavement Support Services.
Stepping Stones is available and free to any adult living in east Kent. There is no requirement to have previously received hospice services, and the charity support people who have experienced any form of loss.
Set up in 2019, it has grown from a small-scale project that initially provided bereavement support to families whose loved ones died in local hospitals.
Annie Hogben, Stepping Stones Project Development Lead, said:
“Pilgrims has always considered the bereavement needs of our families, but we also recognised the need to work alongside other providers of health and social care to ensure all bereaved people have access to local, structured support. We created an initiative to collaborate with our colleagues in East Kent Hospitals and South Kent Cruse Bereavement Support to build a robust service for all local bereaved people. This project also provided an opportunity to develop Pilgrims’ first group of Stepping Stones bereavement support volunteers, enabling people from a variety of backgrounds to use their skills and develop new ones in a rewarding activity.
“Stepping Stones was developed through research into similar bereavement support projects and an understanding of the national strategies related to effective bereavement support. Understanding what support is currently available locally was aided through our collaboration with South Kent Cruse Bereavement Care, helping us to recognise the gap in services. In its infancy, Stepping Stones aimed to provide monthly support groups for bereaved adults in east Kent. Six months after this service went live, we were invited to be part of the Parliamentary launch of National Grief Awareness Week, where we received an acknowledgement award for our Stepping Stones project.”
Stepping Stones timeline
- 2018 Service design and volunteer role development
- 2019 Volunteer recruitment and training, and service launch. Service reach extended to any adult living in east Kent. Acknowledgement award received at the Parliamentary launch of National Grief Awareness Week.
- 2020 Face-to-face service paused due to COVID; telephone support service provided during the pandemic.
- 2021 Re-launch as core hospice bereavement service offering equitable access to everyone living in east Kent, regardless of any previous involvement with hospice services.
- 2022 Launch of weekly Walk & Talk groups
- 2023 Stepping Stones coordinator role introduced
- 2024 Targeted promotion to GP surgeries, funeral directors, pharmacies, libraries, other community groups and services
- 2025 Launch of Stepping Forward, a fortnightly peer-led drop-in group, currently offered at the Ashford and Thanet hospices
Sophie Van Walwyk, Head of Bereavement Services, said:
“Bereavement support is a vital part of hospice care, and I’m delighted to lead on our current three-year strategy focussing on the growth and sustainability of bereavement services for the people of east Kent.
“Stepping Stones has evolved from a small, standalone project to a key provider of bereavement support to adults in east Kent. I’m immensely proud of our bereavement services, and especially our dedicated team of staff and volunteers who make it possible for the hospice to continue supporting as many people as possible through their grief.”
What people say about Stepping Stones
“Thank you for all the support you’ve given me; you’ve helped me deal with one of the most difficult times I’ve ever been through.”
“A brilliant group and so supportive. I really look forward to my Tuesday walks. Thank you.”
“Very easy way to meet others going through bereavement, no pressure, relaxed.”
“This is an amazing service that I have really benefited from.”
Become a Stepping Stones volunteer
Our team of over 30 Stepping Stones volunteers deliver our services across east Kent. With a wealth of skills and experience, they come from all backgrounds – professional and non-professional, as well as people who’ve been through their own grief journey and now want to help others.
Read about Lyn, Jane, Linda and Paul, the volunteers who run our Stepping Forward groups.
Pilgrims provide full training and ongoing support. For more information about becoming a Stepping Stones volunteer, or to express your interest, please email [email protected].
To find out more about Stepping Stones bereavement support in your area, or to register with our service, please contact us:
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 01233 504 127 (option 2)
