19th – 22nd October
If you’re in Bluewater Shopping Centre during the October half term, you might spot Holding On Letting Go at the Community Space. Based in Rochester, the team will be in the exhibition pod meeting shoppers, telling them who they are, what they do, who they help and how to get involved.
Find them at Bluewater:
19th – 22nd October, 10am – 4pm
Upper Rose Gallery, between Marks & Spencer and John Lewis.
Who they are
Holding On Letting Go supports bereaved children and young people aged up to 18, either before an expected death or after a death of a loved one or someone special. They help people to hold onto precious memories and let go of the sad ones.
What they do
Their services are free – and funded completely from donations, gifts, grants and trusts. Bereavement support is delivered to children through creative therapies – music, craft and games, that help them to share their thoughts, feelings and emotions. HOLG’s therapists help families to understand them, communicate and cope with their bereavement – together.
Who they help
The charity supports individual families in a variety of ways – with creative resources, phone calls, video calls, group therapy and one-to-one therapy. Help is offered for both the child and their family, given both separately and together.
The charity also works in schools to support individual children, classes or staff, plus they train and support professionals and work collaboratively with other organisations that are touched by bereavement, including local hospices.
How you can get involved
There are so many ways to get involved, from volunteering, to fundraising, sharing their details with some one who might need to know, and of course, making a donation. They also look for support from businesses – donations, skill-giving or making them Charity of the Year. Their current campaign £350 for 300 aims to raise the money needed for the 300 children they expected to support this year – although they are likely to support around 500.
They also have a couple of autumn/winter quizzes – on Friday October 16th and Friday December 10th. Both are online, at 7:30pm so you can join in at home – details and the booking link can be found on their website.
