The Bereavement Café
The Bereavement Café is changing the way people understand and respond to grief through support, education and compassionate conversation
Watch us raise awareness on ITV News!
Bereavement Support
The Bereavement Café is a welcoming grief support service based across Bolton, Wigan and surrounding areas. We provide safe, professionally facilitated peer support spaces for anyone struggling with grief, loss or life after bereavement. Our sessions offer the chance to sit with people who “get it”, talk if you want to, listen if you need to, and feel less alone in what can often feel like a very isolating experience. Alongside support, many people find friendship, understanding, reassurance, practical guidance and hope through our community.
Our Aims & Objectives
1. To challenge outdated views around grief and help create a society where conversations around death, loss and bereavement feel more understood, compassionate and less taboo.
2. To improve grief awareness across communities, workplaces, schools and services so that people feel more confident recognising, understanding and responding to grief in everyday life.
3. To equip people with the confidence and practical skills needed to support others through grief, with a strong focus on listening, compassion and human connection rather than trying to “fix” emotions.
4. To provide safe, welcoming and professionally facilitated spaces where people affected by grief can feel heard, understood and supported without pressure, judgement or comparison, regardless of how recent or historic the loss may be.
5. To raise awareness of the wider ripple effects of grief, including its impact on emotional wellbeing, relationships, education, work, physical health, confidence and daily life.
6. To promote early support, connection and grief literacy as a form of prevention, helping reduce isolation, crisis, loneliness and long term emotional overwhelm.
7. To develop accessible grief awareness training, resources and community initiatives that empower individuals, organisations and professionals to better support bereaved people.
8. To continue building compassionate, grief aware communities where nobody feels they have to navigate loss alone. Our Mission To change the way society understands and responds to grief through compassionate support, grief awareness, education and community connection. We believe grief should not be hidden, rushed or fixed. Through safe spaces, training, resources and conversation, we aim to help people feel more confident supporting others and ensure nobody has to navigate grief feeling alone.
How can The Bereavement Café help?
Your Own Grief
Are you struggling with your own grief journey?
Others with Grief
Do you want to support someone close to you going through their grief?
School Support
Are you a local school wishing to train staff to better support pupils and fellow staff?
Business Training
Are you a business and need to support your staff and customers through their grief?
Start Your Own
We provide a full and comprehensive training model to guide you every step of the way.
The Bereavement Café Services
The Bereavement Cafés
Creating welcoming spaces for those coping with loss to gather, share their stories, and find comfort in shared experiences.
Grief Awareness Workshops
Designed to help individuals, schools, and businesses understand and better support those navigating the complex journey of grief and loss.
Youth Bereavement Cafés
We provide support to children dealing with grief through our Youth Cafes, located within their learning environments. These weekly group sessions help them understand and express their emotions.
Living with Loss Workshops
Designed to provide guidance and strategies for individuals who are learning to navigate daily life amidst the deep sorrow of losing a loved one.
5 week Group Workshop
Support & Listening Service
A safe space where individuals can openly share their feelings and experiences of loss, and receive empathetic support from others who understand their journey.
One to One Listening
We recognise the healing power of being heard and understood, which is why we provide dedicated one-on-one listening sessions.
Our Story
In the wake of tragic events The Bereavement Café was born…
In the wake of my husband’s passing, I’ve often been asked, “Have you considered counselling?” or “Isn’t it time you started counselling?”
I realise the tremendous potential of grief counselling for many, but what I personally yearned for, and what seemed to be lacking, was a community of people who could truly relate to my experience. I wanted to connect with others navigating the same or similar journey as mine, to listen to their stories, to find shared experiences, and above all, to derive hope. I was in search of companionship and understanding from those who truly comprehended my situation.
Thus, the concept for The Bereavement Café was born.
It’s essential to acknowledge that now more than ever, there’s a need for peer-to-peer support in times of grief. We must remove the stigma associated with discussions on death and dying.
We invite you to join us, grab a drink, and we’ll be here, ready to welcome you.
Supporting You
Losing a loved one can often leave us feeling shattered. Our focus wanes, we’re overwhelmed by agony, and contrary to the common perception, the situation might even intensify with time.
The Grief Recovery Method guides you towards the right steps, alleviating the need to endure pain in hopeless anticipation.
Our Certified Grief Recovery Specialist can provide both one-on-one and group support for those grappling with the loss of a loved one.
Helping you Support Others
It's hard to see someone you care about struggle with grief. You may feel helpless, uncertain, or scared that you'll say the wrong thing. At The Bereavement Café, we provide guidance on how to support others through their grief.
Our environment is a space where you can learn how to provide the right support, understanding, and empathy. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those experiencing loss, helping them feel less alone during their darkest times.
Supporting Schools
Grief can be particularly challenging for children and young adults to comprehend and handle. At The Bereavement Café, we offer support to local schools seeking to help their students navigate through the difficult process of grieving.
We provide practical strategies, resource recommendations, and understanding to help educators and school administrators provide a supportive environment for students coping with loss. Our aim is to equip the next generation with the tools they need to process grief in a healthy and constructive way.
Business Training
Loss and grief don't stop at the doorstep of our workplaces. They follow us to our jobs, affecting productivity and mental well-being. It's crucial for businesses to recognise this and know how to support their employees effectively.
The Bereavement Café offers training for businesses on how to better understand and support employees dealing with bereavement. Our sessions equip leaders and coworkers with practical tools to help create a compassionate workplace where employees don't just feel understood, but also supported during their grieving process.
Fresh Coffee & a Chat
Compassionate Peer Support
The Bereavement Café offers a safe, welcoming space where people can talk openly about grief without pressure, judgement or expectation.
We are not a counselling service. Our facilitators and volunteers are trained in grief awareness and bereavement support, alongside bringing their own lived understanding of loss. This helps create real conversations, human connection and a space where people feel heard, understood and less alone.
Some people attend to talk.
Others simply come to listen or sit alongside people who understand.
Both are equally welcome here.