ABOUT THE GOOD GRIEF PROJECT & THE ACTIVE GRIEF WEEKEND RETREATS:

Thank you for supporting our work and for your donations, all of which will go directly to helping less advantaged bereaved families attend our Active Grief Weekend retreats. The aim of the retreats is to support the bereaved as they look for new and creative ways of expressing their feelings as they come to terms with the death of a son or daughter.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT THE RETREATS

Approximately 6000 young people under the age of 25 die in the UK every year leaving up to 50,000 newly bereaved close relatives and friends. Recent studies have shown that the social, psychological and financial costs of grief can be extreme. Many bereaved families report that over time they are expected to move on or put the death of their child behind them. This often results in isolation for the griever and anxieties and misunderstandings for those who care for them, an increase in alcoholism, marriage break up, loneliness, depression, poor job satisfaction - all of which amounts to a considerable but avoidable burden on the health service and on society in general.

At a colossal 5,895 metres Kilimanjaro in East Africa is one of the largest volcanoes ever to break through the earth's crust. Our challenge is to climb above the sea of clouds to reach the summit. Conquering the mountain offers an incredible sense of achievement for those who are physically and mentally strong enough to undertake it. The thin air causes altitude sickness, the camping conditions are best described as austere and Kilimanjaro has a knack of hurling atrocious weather conditions at anyone who tries to tackle it. This is certainly no walk in the park but our team know that whatever discomfort and pain they will have to deal with, these are nothing compared to the pain of grief following the death of a much loved son or daughter.

GRIEF IS NOT A PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED. ITS AN EXPERIENCE TO BE SUPPORTED WITNESSED AND HELD

The Good Grief Project and the Active Grief Weekends are the brainchild of bereaved parents Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds whose son Josh died in a road accident in Vietnam in 2011. Jane is a psychotherapist and Jimmy is a filmmaker. Their response to Josh's death has been to use both the still and the moving image to articulate their grief. They now want to help other bereaved families find creative ways of expressing their grief.

The work of grief is to repair the fracture in our lives following the death of a loved one. This is where creativity comes in, and by attending one of these weekend retreats bereaved parents and siblings can learn new skills (primarily photography and creative writing) and engage in various physical activities that will help them re-evaluate their lives and to find ways to continue a relationship with their child even while they are no longer physically present. We don't pretend this is easy but the weekends are specifically designed by the bereaved for the bereaved where comfort and solidarity are paramount.

The weekends are open to any bereaved parent or sibling, no matter how the child died or how long ago. During the weekend participants have the opportunity to take part in three different sessions - photography, creative writing and physical activity. No previous experience is necessary and there is absolutely no requirement to join in. There is plenty of time just to be, to get to know other parents or to find your own space.

It costs about £14,000 to hold each retreat (or £750 per person). We already offer substantial discounts but funds are limited and we now want to make places available to all, especially now that the cost of living has had such a devastating impact for those on low incomes. Please help us to support mums and dads, brothers and sisters, even grandparents as they try to rebuild their lives after such a huge tragedy.

Thank you for your support

Jane and Jimmy and all at THE GOOD GRIEF PROJECT

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