SPRING is part of University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity (Registered Charity Number 1057366) and overseen by a steering group which includes bereaved parents and caring, committed professionals – all of whom are passionate about SPRING and matters surrounding baby loss based at St. Mary’s Maternity Unit at Poole Hospital. The Bereavement Suites at St. Mary’s Maternity Unit are partly funded by SPRING and provide space for parents and families to spend precious time with their baby before saying goodbye.
The aim of SPRING is to support through grief at the point of loss, delivery and beyond. working closely with medical professionals to help provide a high level of care to bereaved families, alongside regular NHS services. SPRING also provides support and care through subsequent pregnancies. The professional specialist counselling service provides confidential individual counselling and trained facilitators provide monthly open support meetings.
SPRING is here for bereaved families living in Poole, Bournemouth and surrounding areas, and is funded by the generosity of fundraisers and donors. Through the provision of this service being held in a safe, non –judgemental environment, bereaved parents and their families are able to explore their thoughts and feelings following the loss of a baby. By offering a range of services and support such as the counselling service alongside regular open support meetings, SPRING aims to create a space for those affected by grief and help bereaved parents and families along this devastating journey.
Alongside these services, SPRING also holds three remembrance events a year. Bereaved families and friends are invited to attend these events which provide the opportunity for the community to come together to remember their special babies.
At our heart, SPRING is here to help parents and families through the worst possible times in their lives and whilst we know we can’t make everything better, we aim to make sure things aren’t worse for bereaved parents.
c/o UHD NHS Charity Office Poole Hospital, Longfleet Road Poole, Dorset BH15 2JB
New Horizons offers friendship and support group for widows following bereavement. They run a varied programme of activities. The group meets every Tuesday, 10.30am-12.00noon, at the church. For more information please contact the church office.
Bargates, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 1QT
| Phoenix is a group offering support and companionship for widowers in a social setting. The group meets every Monday from 10.30am-12.30pm and runs a varied programme of activities. For more information, please contact the church office |
Christchurch Baptist Church Beaconsfield Road Bargates Christchurch Dorset BH23 1QT United Kingdom
Sadly, some babies are lost during pregnancy, birth, or shortly afterwards. We have information and support for anyone who has experienced the loss of a baby, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or termination for medical reasons.
We provide emotional and practical support at the point of loss; professional counselling; open support meetings for parents and relatives; and ways to remember our babies. We are also here to support bereaved parents through subsequent pregnancies.
Our support is available to bereaved parents and relatives living in Poole, Bournemouth and surrounding areas.
Sands is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK. Sands exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it.
Sands provides bereavement support services both nationally through its Freephone helpline, mobile app, online community and resources, and locally through a UK-wide network of around 100 regional support groups.
Winston’s Wish provides emotional and practical bereavement support to children and young people up to the age of 25, their families and those who care for them. You can call or email our Freephone Helpline team for immediate advice, guidance and support from trained bereavement professionals. Our ongoing specialist support service is available for those who need it.
You’ll also find lots of helpful information and resources to support a bereaved child or young person on our website, along with expert advice for those bereaved by suicide, homicide and serious illness and supporting bereaved children with SEND. Winston’s Wish also offers training for professionals, resources for schools and specialist publications.
Mosaic offers a pathway of support and guidance for bereaved children, young people and their families. We also offer support to those facing the death of a loved one. Children are encouraged through story-telling and creativity to manage their emotions safely. Our Residential Camps allow children and young people to remember their special person, share their experiences and have some fun. Mosaic also offers bespoke training to professionals working with bereaved children and young people.
3 Barnes Croft Coles Lane Milborne St. Andrew Blandford Dorset DT11 0LG
Sue Ryder’s Online Bereavement Support makes it easy to connect with the right support for you – whether that’s information and resources, qualified counsellors or a community of others with similar experiences. These services are free and easy to access on your computer, smartphone or tablet.
They offer:
The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members who have suffered the death of a child or children of any age and from any cause.
Offer a helpline, which is answered by a volunteer bereaved parent, open every day of the year 10am – 4pm and 7 – 10pm
AtaLoss helps bereaved people find support and wellbeing.
Chat live to a specially tained GriefChat bereavement counsellor. This service is free and available Monday- Friday 09:00 – 21:00
Oakhaven Hospice now have the Coates Centre – they offer bereavement support, counselling, social support groups, courses and activities and complimentary therapies. They are based in the New Forest but anyone living in local area can access.
Oakhaven Hospice Lower Pennington Lane Lymington Hampshire, SO41 8ZZ
Child Bereavement UK helps children, parents and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. We support children and young people up to the age of 25 who are facing bereavement, and anyone affected by the death of a child of any age.
We provide training to professionals in health and social care, education, and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
For more information or to support the work of the charity, please email:
[email protected]
Visit our website: www.childbereavementuk.org
National Helpline: 0800 02 888 40
Unit B, Knaves Beech Way, Knaves Beech Industrial Estate High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP10 9QY
We offer one to one sessions with one of our trained bereavement supporters. These usually take place over the phone or via a video call. You’ll normally see one of our volunteers between one and six times.
In one to one sessions you can explore your grief with your bereavement supporter. You can talk about the person who died, how their death is affecting you, and how you are coping. Using counselling skills, your supporter will help you to understand what you are going through and develop coping strategies.
One to one support offers a safe, confidential space for you to explore emotions. It helps to you explore feelings and thoughts and make sense of your world. It can be very helpful if you are feeling a lot of distress.
Please note due to high demand for our services, there is a waiting list for one to one support. Please call us to find out more about our support services and how you can help you. If our volunteers are not available to take your call please call our national helpline, free on 0808 808 1677.
Lewis-Manning Hospice Care is a charity helping people with life-limiting illnesses and their families across East Dorset.
We promote acceptance, hope and peace of mind, helping people live well through their illness. Lewis-Manning Hospice Care offers a range of important services, which are run by our incredible clinical team.
These free services are:
Day Hospice
Lymphoedema Clinic
Breathlessness Service
Creative Arts & Wellbeing
Bereavement & Family Support
Complementary Therapy
56 Longfleet Road Poole, Dorset BH15 2JD
SAMM National provides a wide range of peer support services to people bereaved by murder and manslaughter. There is no time limit on becoming a member. Our services are open to everyone regardless of how long ago they were bereaved
We support close relatives as well as wider family members. Even if a loss has affected a bereaved friend, we will support them. As a national charity our support services cover England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Our unique support services have been designed by the bereaved for the bereaved to meet a persons’ emotional support needs. All volunteers receive bespoke training and have been bereaved through homicide themselves. They have a unique understanding of what it’s like to be traumatically bereaved.
SAMM National, Tally Ho!, Room G39, L&DC, Pershore Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B5 7RN
Our aim is to support men following bereavement. Grief can cause severe emotional and physical health conditions which are often overlooked, especially by men.
It is with personal experience in these issues that the team behind StrongMen has created incredible services to help men going through the toughest of times.
The StrongMen ‘Weekender Retreat’ is our unique premier service where groups of men have the opportunity to relax and enjoy beautiful remote surroundings whilst engaging in conversation and physical activities in a safe, secure environment with other men with shared experiences.
Man 2 Man is our telephone based peer support service from a trained StrongMen volunteer with first-hand experience of losing a loved one.
Amelia House Crescent Road Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1RL
We exist to meet the needs and break the isolation experienced by those bereaved by suicide. We are a self-help organisation and we aim to provide a safe, confidential environment in which bereaved people can share their experiences and feelings, so giving and gaining support from each other. We also strive to improve public awareness and maintain contacts with many other statutory and voluntary organisations.
We are a volunteer, peer-led organisation, and our growing number of volunteers across the UK deliver our support services, raise funds for our work, increase awareness and get involved in local suicide prevention strategies and supporting professionals.
Experiencing bereavement is difficult at any time and for some people, it can be additionally traumatic during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you have been bereaved by suicide, the grieving process can be even more complicated, distressing, uncertain and confusing.
Dorset Open Door, acknowledges that everyone has a different experience of bereavement. The team will listen to you and in the context of your personal experience, circumstance, strengths and resources help you to navigate support and advice that is right for you.
You can contact Dorset Open Door by calling 01305 361 361 or emailing [email protected]
Weekly meeting with a supportive group where we explore the wonders of nature and the outdoors and have a hot drink and a chat.
We carry out a nature-focused activity which could include: arts&crafts, planting trees, building bird boxes, looking at species identification, etc.
We meet every Tuesday 10am-12pm at the Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre.