Compassionate Communities continue to grow in east Kent
Compassionate Communities is part of a growing movement that aims to promote a public health approach to death, dying, loss and grief right at the heart of local communities.
Since the launch of Pilgrims Compassionate Communities strategy in 2024, we have been working with groups and individuals in our local communities, inspiring, supporting and celebrating compassionate activities across east Kent.
Grief is a natural, normal and necessary emotional reaction when someone close to us dies, but when we are affected by grief, it can often leave us feeling overwhelmed, isolated and uncertain of the future. Most people find they are able to cope with their grief with the support they receive from family, friends and their local community. For some people, having the opportunity to meet with other bereaved people, to share their experiences and to make new connections through peer support, can be a helpful way to normalise their feelings and worries.
Here, we recognise some of the work Pilgrims Compassionate Communities has been doing to support local community groups.
Romney Marsh Community Hub Bereavement Support Group
Recognising the need for bereavement support in their local area, Romney Marsh Community Hub recently took the initiative to set up a peer-led support group for adults who are experiencing grief. As part of our Compassionate Communities work, Pilgrims were delighted to support this project by facilitating a grief awareness and compassionate conversation skills training session to staff and volunteers from the Hub. Those who attended found the session very useful – it helped them to understand how grief works, and how to use communication skills effectively to support adults who are grieving. Following the success of this first session, Pilgrims will be delivering a second session at the Hub in April.
Lympne Parish Council Bereavement Support Group
Councillor Anne Beales from Lympne Parish Council recently approached Pilgrims for advice and help in setting up a bereavement support group in their local community. As part of our Compassionate Communities work, we are excited to have this opportunity to collaborate with Anne and her team of volunteers, supporting them to develop and implement a pilot project for members of their local community, starting in April.
To find out more about Pilgrims Compassionate Communities work, or if you would like to become involved in creating a compassionate community across east Kent, please visitpilgrimshospices.org/compassionate-communities.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices care for thousands of people across east Kent, with services provided from its three hospice sites in Ashford, Canterbury, and Thanet, as well as in patients’ own homes. It costs over £17.2 million annually to run these services, much of which comes from the generous support of the local community.
7th December 2024
The Wooden Box Café, Ramsgate offers grief support to local community
Dawn Baldwin from Ramsgate runs The Wooden Box Café, where she hosts a weekly bereavement support group and various fundraising activities for Pilgrims Hospices.
She supports the local charity in memory of her dad, John Humphrys, who received Pilgrims care in 2022.
John was a family man, doting on Dawn and her sister, Claire, and his six grandchildren. He spent 35 years working as a Technical Administrator at Hornby Hobbies in Margate, and before that he was a disc jockey known as DJ Ferret. He was still working full-time at Hornby Hobbies when he was referred to Pilgrims, aged 71, for symptom control of his cancer.
Dawn said: “Although Dad was only in the hospice for a short time, the care was beautiful. We also said a big thank you to Hornby Hobbies after he passed, as they were so supportive as an employer.”
John with his colleagues at Hornby Hobbies, his daughters Dawn and Claire, and his grandchildren Charlie, Lacey and Lillie
The Wooden Box Café was established in Ramsgate but went up for sale, and Dawn began running it in February 2024: “I’d always wanted to have my own cafe, so when I found out I had some inheritance money, I started looking. A good friend told me about The Wooden Box; I’d not heard of it before, even though Dad had only lived round the corner! I thought, “Well, I’ve got this opportunity because my dad’s in a wooden box.” so I took it; I didn’t find this cafe, it very much came to me.”
Dawn hosts a drop-in bereavement support group on Thursday mornings, offering a safe and compassionate space for members of the local community to come together and support each other following bereavement. Everyone is welcome.
“People just sit, have a coffee and a chat, and help each other. One lady who came in asked me what my yellow rose tattoo means and I said it represents strength for everyone fighting cancer, and also my dad’s resilience. It also features in the signage on the outside of the cafe. She then told me that she’d recently moved to the area with her family and her mum had died the day before. She showed me her mum’s knitted heart from Pilgrims – during the pandemic, Pilgrims gave matching knitted hearts to patients and their families, as a way to remain connected despite social distancing restrictions. I showed her my knitted heart, too, as I carry it with me everywhere. Her dad came in shortly afterwards, and we were able to signpost them to local services to help with things like funeral planning.”
Regular customer, Rita, makes crochet trinkets that are sold to raise money for Pilgrims. Dawn added: “Rita’s daughter received Pilgrims care, so it’s her way of giving back and it’s the reason our Pilgrims collection pots fill up so quickly.”
John
Dawn also displays local artwork, which is available to purchase, and has a small library where customers can borrow books, both in return for a suggested donation to the charity – the bookshelf was even sourced from Pilgrims Tivoli Brooks furniture warehouse. In addition, she plans to hold a weekly book club.
In September 2024, Dawn hosted an open mic event to raise money for Pilgrims, and hopes to put on another in the near future. She is planning much more, too, including a Christmas-themed doggie photo competition, which people can pay £1 to enter to be in with the chance of winning a hamper.
Dawn also attends annual remembrance events at the Thanet hospice: “Trees of Love is the best event of the whole year, and we have a leaf on the Memory Tree for Dad.
“When my dad died, I thought no one would want to listen to me talk about my grief, so I just went straight back to work. I don’t want other people to feel like that – I want to offer this space to others so they know they’re not alone, and support Pilgrims in any way I can.”
The Wooden Box Café is located at 91 High Street, Ramsgate CT11 9RH.
National Grief Awareness Week takes place 2-8 December 2024. It raises awareness of the impact of grief and loss on a national platform. To find out more, visit thegoodgrieftrust.org/ngaw.
Pilgrims Hospices is a charity dedicated to providing expert care and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses in east Kent. Our services ensure comfort, dignity, and quality of life for patients and their families, offering compassionate care both in hospice settings and in the community.
