Developments
within Brent Bereavement Services have increased the number of bereaved people
we help. Thanks to the King's Fund, people with learning disabilities in Brent
now have a specialist service to support them and their carers.
Many challenges have been faced during the past year and bereavement counselling
and support has been highlighted through unfortunate and traumatic circumstances
around the world and at home.
We have the second largest population of refugees and asylum seekers, so we
are developing ways to further help this client group who sometimes suffer multiple
bereavements through loss of family, friends, home, language, country and social
status; often not knowing what has happened to their loved ones.
Our training has created immense awareness of the need to support bereaved people.
Through our team of committed Volunteers and staff we have been able to provide
this support almost immediately. I want to express my appreciation and thanks
to all our Volunteers, Raksha (my right arm), Valerie and Carole, for their
support and listening ears. Thanks to our dedicated Supervisors Rohini, Jacqui
and Valerie for always being there and encouraging such worth while work.
Thanks to our staunch Management Committee for their guidance, and many thanks
to our funders, who believe in the fact that counselling bereaved people does
prevent mental health problems.
I continue to enjoy my job, sometimes to my complete surprise! I hope that we
may together, as a team, continue to provide this professional and inspiring
work for many years to come.
Paulo Pimentel