Volunteer-led bereavement hubs

Project overview

The LOROS volunteer-led bereavement hubs were set up in partnership with Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall and Dying Matters, to meet increasing need for bereavement support in Leicestershire and Rutland following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hubs are open for 2 hours each week in neighbourhood venues such as church halls and community centres and are staffed by trained volunteers who provide information, refreshments and a listening ear. 

Anybody aged over 18 who has been bereaved for any reason can visit the hub on a drop-in basis.

Outcomes

LOROS has opened 5 hubs in the first 6 months of the service, with an average of 7 visitors per session. This has enabled the hospice to provide support for families and individuals who were previously unknown to the hospice.

Key facilitators

Volunteers are key to the success of the bereavement hubs. The first cohort were existing hospice volunteers, who had already been trained to help facilitate one of the in-house bereavement support groups. 

All volunteers undergo 2 days of intensive training, and hospice staff work alongside volunteers for the first month when a new hub opens. Although the hub is ‘handed over’ to volunteers after a month, LOROS provides ongoing training and support.

In total around 30 volunteers have been recruited during the first 6 months of the service, which means there are enough to run the bereavement hubs and cover any absence.

Promotion of the service has been successful on social media and local news channels.

Challenges

Funding for the bereavement hubs is limited but venues have been donated for free by local communities.

The service is confidential, which makes it challenging to collect demographic data. Currently only attendance numbers are recorded.

LOROS aims to set up 12 bereavement hubs in the first two years of the service. There are also plans to begin sessions targeted at specific groups of people.

The team are looking at ways to evaluate the service.