An extra support system for those who are recently bereaved has been set up by the same organisation which began Caledonia Cremation in 2018 as a not for profit cremation service.
Since the social enterprise funeral directors began offering their service they found that it is not just financial advice which is required but also practical and emotional support. Now Caledonia Funeral Aid has been set up to offer that help.
Co-founder John Halliday said: “We have learnt that just providing a not-for-profit funeral wasn’t enough – people needed more. By setting up Caledonia Funeral Aid– we will provide full emotional and practical support to the recently bereaved.
“We will provide a trained coach and funeral support worker to help Edinburgh residents who have experienced a bereavement in the past 6 months This support will focus on their emotional needs. We will deeply listen to their needs and give them a safe and trusted place in which to discuss their loss and the impact on their lives.
“There are already some brilliant organisations who provide bereavement support like Cruse Bereavement Care. However, that starts after a period of 6 months. By working in a coaching capacity before that period, our trained staff can prevent people’s issues becoming so severe that they end up experiencing additional trauma before becoming eligible for support. After the 6 months, we will carefully direct our client to the other support services available – all the while making sure they are in safe hands.
“We are delighted to launch this initially in Edinburgh, thanks to funding from Edinburgh Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.
“However, our aim is to launch this nationwide very shortly.
“With the average cost of a basic funeral sitting at £4,000, we receive calls from many people, especially those experiencing in-work poverty or students, who just can’t afford that amount. They don’t qualify for financial help and have nowhere to turn. We never turn anyone away and through the fundraising efforts of Caledonia Funeral Aid we hope to extend our help to even more bereaved Scots nationwide.
We accept donations through our website and our team are also doing all the Kiltwalk this year so anyone wo wants to help us support more bereaved Scots can find a way to do so online.”
To access the support call 03000 11 33 01.
The Scottish Government Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has announced its first wave of investment
Fourteen groups and organisations in Edinburgh have been awarded small pots of funding, totalling just over £26,000, to deliver grass-roots activities in communities across the city.
NOTE:
We received the following comment from the CEO of Cruse Scotland:
“Cruse Scotland do offer bereavement support to people in the first six months of their bereavement we do this through our helpline, webchat service and one-to-one support sessions. We are currently trialling group support for people in early stages of grief.
“In 2021 we supported around 220 people in Edinburgh who were in the early stages of their grief – the majority are supported via the helpline service, however 75 people attended one-to-one support sessions with therapists.
“We also offer a dedicated support service for children and young people that can be accessed immediately after a bereavement.
http://www.crusescotland.org.uk“
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
There is a reference to Cruse Scotland’s work in your article that is incorrect.
Cruse Scotland do offer bereavement support to people in the first six months of their bereavement we do this through our helpline, webchat service and one-to-one support sessions. We are currently trialling group support for people in early stages of grief.
In 2021 we supported around 220 people in Edinburgh who were in the early stages of their grief – the majority are supported via the helpline service, however 75 people attended one-to-one support sessions with therapists.
We also offer a dedicated support service for children and young people that can be accessed immediately after a bereavement.
Details of all our work can be found at http://www.crusescotland.org.uk
Keith Robertson, CEO, Cruse Scotland
Thank you very much indeed for pointing this out. Always happy for any corrections to be included.
Apologies to Keith and Cruse Scotland for an internal miscommunication I caused which resulted in my somewhat misrepresenting the excellent service of Cruse Scotland. Their work supporting grief and bereavement is to be celebrated and complements our own core focus on funeral practicalities, funeral costs and the emotional fallout associated with funeral poverty. We plan to collaborate ever more. John Halliday, Chair of Caledonia Funeral Aid.
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