Issue 4C— February 2016 Contacts: Eleanor Ellerslie 02890 792419 or [email protected]Rachel Haugh on 02890 508056 or [email protected]More project info and past issues of the EBullen can be found at hp://www.cruse.org.uk/northern-ireland/ beyond-words On Thursday, 5 May, Beyond Words will be hosng “Living Beyond Loss” a showcase of the work of Beyond Words Project. This will be held at Belfast Castle from 10 am—1.30 pm and lunch and refreshments will be provided. We are now over halfway through Year 4 and this Conference will highlight how we have taken the Project forward, including the Accessible Resource Pack and work with stroke survivors with aphasia, Sheltered Housing, Friendship Groups and Volunteering for people aged 60+. To book a place at this event, please contact Eleanor or Rachel (details at top of page). Beyond Words were delighted to be chosen by the Big Loery Fund to help launch their new mul-million pound People and Communies programme of funding. £60 million will be invested over the next five years to support voluntary, community and social enterprise groups to work with local people to make changes they want in their communies. John Caulfield, who is a member of the Belfast Area group, was happy to share his story for the Big Loery Fund blog of how he found Beyond Words aſter his partner Eileen died. John had shared this story in our Ebullen six months ago. He has found a love of creave wring and the arts and is involved in a number of classes at the minute including poetry wring, screen play wring and fiddle making. More recently John has also become a member of our Advisory Group and we are looking forward to hearing what ideas he has for Beyond Words in the coming months. John said about his new experience of blogging “Well, when Eleanor “ volunteered “ me to do The Big Loery blog I said yes, even though I had no idea what a blog was. Naimh from the BLF called me and asked me to talk about my life with Eileen and the friendship group. I began to tell my story and aſter about an hour on the phone it dawned on me this was going to be more than a few lines on a web site. I did get into a bit of a panic about it, aſter all I had spent my whole life quietly not being noced. Luckily I had a couple of days to think it over. They seemed very interested in my story and I thought perhaps others might be interested too. My hope is that someone will read my story and see that they don't have to be alone in their grief. There are good people out there willing to hold out a hand and say walk with me, together we will find a way forward.”
Transcript
Issue 4C— February 2016 Contacts: Eleanor Ellerslie 02890 792419 or [email protected] Rachel Haugh on 02890 508056 or [email protected] More project info and past issues of the EBulletin can be found at http://www.cruse.org.uk/northern-ireland/ beyond-words
On Thursday, 5 May, Beyond Words will be hosting “Living Beyond Loss” a showcase of the work of Beyond Words Project. This will be held at Belfast Castle from 10 am—1.30 pm and lunch and refreshments will be provided. We are now over halfway through Year 4 and this Conference will highlight how we have taken the Project forward, including the Accessible Resource Pack and work with stroke survivors with aphasia, Sheltered Housing, Friendship Groups and Volunteering for people aged 60+. To book a place at this event, please contact Eleanor or Rachel (details at top of page).
Beyond Words were delighted to be chosen by the Big Lottery Fund to help launch their new multi-million pound People and Communities programme of funding. £60 million will be invested over the next five years to support voluntary, community and social enterprise groups to work with local people to make changes they want in their communities. John Caulfield, who is a member of the Belfast Area group, was happy to share his story for the Big Lottery Fund blog of how he found Beyond Words after his partner Eileen died. John had shared this story in our Ebulletin six months ago. He has found a love of creative writing and the arts and is involved in a number of classes at the minute including poetry writing, screen play writing and fiddle making. More recently John has also become a member of our Advisory Group and we are looking forward to hearing what ideas he has for Beyond Words in the coming months. John said about his new experience of blogging “Well, when Eleanor “ volunteered “ me to do The Big Lottery blog I said yes, even though I had no idea what a blog was. Naimh from the BLF called me and asked me to talk about my life with Eileen and the friendship group. I began to tell my story and after about an hour on the phone it dawned on me this was going to be more than a few lines on a web site. I did get into a bit of a panic about it, after all I had spent my whole life quietly not being noticed. Luckily I had a couple of days to think it over. They seemed very interested in my story and I thought perhaps others might be interested too. My hope is that someone will read my story and see that they don't have to be alone in their grief. There are good people out there willing to hold out a hand and say walk with me, together we will find a way forward.”
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We currently have three Friendship Groups every month. New members are always welcome. If you or someone you know would be interested in coming along to a friendship group, contact us via the details on the front page.
Foyle—The Group meets on the second Monday of every month at 10 am—12.30 pm in the Actor’s Studio in The Playhouse. Belfast/Lisburn—The Group meets on the third Monday of every month at 11 am—1 pm in the Bridge Community Centre in Lisburn. North Down and Ards—The Group meets on the fourth Monday of every month at 11 am—1 pm in the Seminar Room, Bangor Community Hospital.
Some of the Belfast Area Friendship Group are currently taking part in an Open Arts project called “Larger Than Life”. The main idea of the project is to work with older people to look at life story-telling to create a graphic novel/ comic book. This is being run over 7 mornings and includes drama and visual arts. The group had a lot of fun at the first morning and everyone is looking forward to seeing how the project develops under the guidance of Ed and Carol, the tutors.
Following the success of the Tails of Yesterday event last June, we will be holding another event in the Northern Area called “The Gushing Glens”. This will be held at the Laragh Lodge, Glenariff on Tuesday, 10 May at 3 pm. Dominic O’Loan from the Glens of Antrim Historical Society will give a short talk on the history of the beautiful Glens. We will then have a table quiz and afternoon tea. The Laragh Lodge is a beautiful setting for this event. It was built in 1890 as a tea house for the visiting tourists and takes its name from the Ess-Na-Laragh waterfall (pictured right). Admission is free but by ticket only due to limited numbers. For further information or to book places at the event, please contact Diane McInnes, Area Co-Ordinator, Cruse Northern Area, telephone 028 27666686 or email [email protected].
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Beyond Words are hosting Reflections— Memory Treasure Box sessions in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry. This is a concept where people can celebrate a loved one by compiling a collection of mementos such as photographs, words, letters, poems, music, records of achievements or anything that they would like to include. Everyone will design and decorate a memory box, sharing memories of their loved one and the life they shared. Refreshments will be provided and there will be a chance to chat and get to know the other participants. Derry/Londonderry is 7th and 8th March and Belfast is 5th, 12th and 19th April. Please contact Eleanor Ellerslie via details on front page for further information.
The Beyond Words Advisory Group enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner in Benedicts Hotel Belfast, following their meeting in December. The Group welcomed John Caulfield to his first meeting. The Advisory Group have a busy few months ahead and the meeting was spent planning the Living Beyond Loss event we are holding later in the year (details on page 1). Eleanor and Rachel appreciate the hard work and commitment of the Advisory Group and the time they give to the Beyond Words Project. They will be meeting again in March. We are always happy for new members to join the Advisory Group, so if you know anyone who is aged 60+, been affected by bereavement, stroke or living in sheltered housing accommodation, please let them know about this opportunity. The group meets four times a year to discuss progress and give direction on the work of the project.
This year Beyond Words has offered organisations working with older people the opportunity to have a free one day bereavement workshop for their staff and volunteers. This has proved popular and we will be offering this again next year. Our first workshop was with Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership. Talking about the workshop, Deirdre McCloskey, Project Development Office with MEAAP said “MEAAP were delighted to have had the opportunity to host the CRUSE Bereavement Training Course in Carrickfergus this month. This difficult subject matter was handled sensitively and creatively, to help build the confidence of staff & volun-teers when it comes to supporting older people in our community struggling as a result of bereavement.” If you would be interested in this training for your organisation, please contact Eleanor via details on the front page.
Over the last couple of months we have visited three Senior Citizen Forum Groups in the Belfast Area to talk to them about the Beyond Words Project and the various activities we do. John and Eleanor attended the Castlereagh Lifestyle Forum where John very bravely shared his story for the first time. The South Belfast Lifestyle Forum invited us along to their Christmas meeting where we talked about coping at Christmas time when you are bereaved. John was encouraged to read out one of his poems (pictured right). Lastly Eleanor, Linda and John visited Belfast East Seniors Forum where John and Linda shared their stories and talked about volunteering with the Beyond Words Project.
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In this Ebulletin we caught up with Alex Hall, who is a Bereavement Support Volunteer in the Foyle Area. Alex also volunteers at the Beyond Words Friendship Group.
Tell us a little bit about yourself Alex.
I am 58 years old. I have been married for 35 years and have 3 children and 7 grandchildren (all wee dotes!) I work as a taxi driver in the town I was born and reared in. I couldn’t be more proud to say I am a Derryman, as the people in our city are so friendly.
I have a great interest in history, particularly local history as this city is steeped in fascinating facts, myths and legends. I consider myself to be a people’s person and enjoy meeting friends, old and new. (Alex above with Christine at Portballintrae) Why did you begin to volunteer for Cruse?
I decided to volunteer for Cruse as I worked as an equal opportunities counsellor in my previous job and had gained qualifications.
Prior to my joining Cruse, I experienced quite a few bereavements in a very short space of time and this drove me to help others to cope with their loss as I felt that I had something to contribute.
What do you like most about volunteering with Cruse?
Volunteering for Cruse has made me realise how just being there for someone can change their whole point of view. Being empathetic and supportive when they are at their most vulnerable can enable our clients to continue to carry on, see a brighter future and not to give up. It sometimes makes you sit back and be so appreciative and thankful for what you have.
If older people were considering becoming a bereavement support volunteer, what advice would you give them?
Go for it!!! You have the potential to change someone’s life for the better. With age we all gain experience and the Cruse training programme is second to none and the back up support is exceptional! It’s the most rewarding experience to know you’ve eased someone else’s pain and helped them to continue to live life positively.
(Alex pictured left with members of Foyle Friendship Group)
It is well known that volunteering when you are older has many benefits. It is good for our physical and mental health, we can make new friends, learn new skills, improve on our existing skills and have a lot of fun. Are you over 60 and
have some time to spare? We have various volunteering roles with the Beyond Words Project including membership of our Advisory Group . The group meets 4 times a year to discuss ideas and shape the direction of the project. Members of the advisory group are also offered the opportunity to take part in workshops and residentials. There are also volunteering opportunities on the Management Committees/Client Services Committees within Cruse area offices. If you are interested please contact Eleanor or Rachel via the contact details at the top of the front page.
