CO-OP Funeral Care is supporting next week's Mental Health Awareness Week (beginning Monday, 9 May), offering support to the local community.

Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week the Co-op, working with Cruse Bereavement Support,  is encouraging local people to reach out to a friend or family member who may be dealing with the loss of a loved one.

Earlier this year, Co-op, along with Cruse Bereavement Support developed a set of freely available resources to help promote useful conversations around grief which can act as a useful starting point for those who may be unsure on what to say. See story at Thurrock Nub News.

The theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness – which affects millions of people in the UK every year and is a key driver of poor mental health. The Mental Health Foundation states that 'loneliness is affecting more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on our physical and mental health during the pandemic'.

Co-op colleague Debbie Froud who works within Funeralcare as a service arranger d is a bereavement volunteer said: "The theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week is so apt and sadly I see people every day who tell me how isolated and lonely their grief makes them feel. They don't feel able to open up to those around them about the way they are feeling.

"There is no better time than Mental Health Awareness Week to encourage people to talk to someone in their community who might be experiencing grief alone. We want to help people to have more open conversations about grief, and provide better practical and emotional support to those that need it in their darkest hour.

"Our connection to others plays a fundamental role in protecting and preserving our mental health and I hope people will feel empowered to reach out and make a difference to someone's day."

For more information on how you can better support a loved one going through bereavement, visit Co-op and Cruse Bereavement Support's resources here.