A CEMETERY and ceremonial park is to open a bereavement support cafe.

GreenAcres Rainford Park, an award-winning cemetery and ceremonial park, is set to launch a pop-up bereavement support café in partnership with leading charity, The Good Grief Trust.

The Good Grief Café at GreenAcres Rainford will open on Thursday, October 28 and provide an umbrella of support to people.

The Café will be run by Good Grief Trust volunteers who have all been bereaved themselves, alongside trained members of the team from GreenAcres, to connect and signpost people to services across the region and help them find a way forward.

The Good Grief Trust was founded in 2016 by Linda Magistris, to help all those affected by grief in the UK. It is the country’s leading bereavement network, bringing together over 800 charities and support services.

The launch of the Good Grief Café at GreenAcres Rainford follows the successful opening of four other Cafés at GreenAcres parks across London and the South East, which have already made a valuable difference to local communities.

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Commenting on the latest opening, Andy Tait, CEO of GreenAcres said: “Our families value the highly personalised services that we provide at the difficult time of losing a loved one and we pride ourselves in offering support to our diverse local communities, across all faiths and beliefs. An integral part of that is providing a sanctuary for reflection and remembrance through our peaceful, spacious parks.

“Our partnership with the Good Grief Trust is an important opportunity for us to build on our existing support for families. We believe that the Good Grief Café at GreenAcres Rainford will provide a hugely valuable opportunity for people to come together to share experiences, support one another and access guidance and resources.”

GreenAcres Rainford is a unique cemetery and ceremonial park located on Blindfoot Road, Rainford on the outskirts of St Helens. Set in acres of natural woodland, it offers a tranquil location for memorial services, cremation services and burials.

Andy Tait added: “A recent survey by GreenAcres found that nearly half (42%) of people in the North West talk to those close to them about death, which is encouraging to hear. We’re committed to doing all we can to help normalise these conversations and provide people with the support they need when faced with moments of grief and loss, and our Cafés allow us to offer these crucial services to the local community in their time of need.”

Linda Magistris, Founder and CEO of the Good Grief Trust, said: “Grief can be complicated, but access to support should never be. Our vision is to ensure that no-one grieving feels alone and that they know where to find tailored help from day one.

“By hosting monthly Good Grief Cafés across GreenAcres’ parks, we will be able to extend our support for the bereaved and continue to build strong local networks that will enable people to access peer-to-peer support alongside professional guidance and services."

The first Good Grief Café at GreenAcres Rainford will take place on Thursday, October 28 from 5pm to 7pm and will then run on the last Thursday of each month.

  • To find out more visit Pop Up Good Grief Cafes – The Good Grief Trust and to register a place email: hello@thegoodgrieftrust.org.uk.