Cruse Bereavment Care Bristol and District Area

Who are you?
The Bristol-based branch/area (including Weston) of the national charity Cruse Bereavement Care who help people with unresolved grief issues, with reactive depression and acute anxiety following bereavement. The free service is delivered by trained volunteer support workers usually on a face-to-face, one-to-one basis. People can also speak to a trained support worker by telephone on weekdays 10am to 2pm

When and why did you start up?
Bristol Cruse started in 1985 as part of a national service which grew out of a Richmond, Surrey service founded in 1959 by Margaret Torrie, wife of a leading consultant psychiatrist. Support for widows was Margaret Torrie's initial objective (she being a widow at the time) but today the Cruse service is offered to all bereaved people and is the largest bereavement counselling service in the world.

Describe your organisation in three words.
Sensitive, accessible, professional.

If your group ruled the world, what would be your first act as world leaders?
To work to understand how other cultures cope with bereavement and in so doing to offer better support to each other in our communities.

What is your most memorable achievement?
Keeping our Bristol service going during 2001 when we were without premises and had to work from the home of our administrator.

Do you belong to any partnerships?
Members of Voscur, The Care Forum and links with Common Purpose. Participants in the Business Community Connections network.

Who are your funders?
Principal funders are NHS and local councils.

What do you get out of being a member of Voscur?
Information on relevant meetings, conferences and funding opportunities. Networking opportunities.

How can we contact you?
Contact Becky May, Fundraising and Development Officer, 9a St James Barton, Bristol BS1 3LT. 929 2507, email: crusebristol@jamesb.fsnet.co.uk

BACKGROUND INFO:
Cruse moved into new premises in central Bristol in 2002 . Close to the bus station and Broadmead shopping centre, our counselling rooms can be reached easily by residents in and around Bristol. In July 2003 we took over the administration for Cruse in Weston-super-Mare with services provided locally in Weston. Cruse has a separate Branch in Bath.

Whilst most of our support work is carried out on a one to one basis we also run therapeutic groups and drop-in and information sessions.  A specialist service is available for children and families.
Cruse is always looking for volunteer support workers. We offer a bereavement training course of approximately 60 hours in total for people with appropriate experience and qualifications.

Thanks to Cruse for this profile. If your group would like to be profiled in a future VOSCUR newsletter or on our website, please contact the VOSCUR office Tel. 909 9949, or email: info@voscur.org