THOUSANDS OF SCOTS TO BENEFIT FROM BOOSTED BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT FOLLOWING £10K DOUBLE DONATION FROM SCOTMID FUNERALS
Two Edinburgh-headquartered charities that provide services and support for the bereaved across Scotland, have received a welcome boost following a donation from a Scottish funeral care provider – to the sum of £10,000.
Scotmid Funerals, part of the Scotmid Cooperative which exists to serve the communities in which it operates, made the donations as part of its Covid Community Fund, which has seen more than 300 organisations benefit from financial support since lockdown began earlier in the year.
Cruse Scotland, which offers support for around 5000 bereaved people every year, via a helpline and one to one counselling sessions, has received a £7500 donation from Scotmid Funerals which will be used to support the many people who have found themselves grieving in isolation or not being able to attend funerals due to lockdown.
The funding will go towards the cost of running Cruse Scotland’s helpline and one-to-one services, which are available to everyone who has faced the passing of a loved one, regardless of the cause of death, anyone who is bereaved in lockdown or has been affected by the impact of the pandemic.
Keith Robertson, chief executive of Cruse Scotland, welcomed the donation. He said: “The helpline is a compassionate listening service that offers people guidance about grief, reassurance that their feelings are normal and information on how to access further support.
“We have found that during lockdown, calls are more complex as people are grieving in isolation, they may not have attended funerals and many more are feeling anxious about Covid-19.
“The generous donation from Scotmid Funerals will help us to ensure that anyone who is grieving, wherever they are, will be able to access the help and support they need to get through a very difficult period of their lives.
The Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care (SPPC), which works to enable communities and individuals to support each other during hard times, has received a £2500 donation from Scotmid Funerals in the wake of Covid-19, which has resulted in many people finding themselves either experiencing declining health, without the usual family support or grieving the loss of a loved one in isolation.
The funding will go towards Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief (GLGDGG), a Scotland-wide alliance set up in 2011 which works collectively to raise awareness on ways to cope with dying, death and bereavement.
Mark Hazelwood, chief executive of the SPPC, welcomed the donation. He said: “Declining health, death and bereavement affects everyone at some point. Our work is about ensuring that people are as well prepared as they can be and can get the care and support they need during those hard times. other.
“We are really delighted to receive this generous donation from Scotmid Funerals. It will help us to continue our work which we know can make a big difference for people during a very difficult period of their lives.”
James Blackburn, head of funerals for Scotmid Funerals, said: “End of life care and looking after those who are bereaved are both areas which need to be managed sensitively and compassionately.
“Our donations to both charities will help ensure that anyone who needs support in end of life care or to cope with the loss of a loved one, will be able to get it. It will help make sure that nobody feels that they need to go through this by themselves – and that can often be the first step in the healing process.
“I am delighted that we are able to make these contributions and help make a little difference to people across Scotland.”