The Horrabridge Love Your Neighbour church has introduced a new grief group to help those struggling with loss and bereavement.

Running on Thursday evenings from 5.00pm to 7.00pm at Horrabridge Village Hall, the group is open to all in the village and surrounding areas (such as Tavistock and Yelverton) to speak with others about grief and share their stories. The group was set up by Horrabridge-based methodist pioneer and community worker Ali Mansfield after she spoke with people in the community who had recently been affected by loss.

Ali said: ‘A mixture of things led to the need for this group. I was out in the community in my role as church layminister and

learned there had been many deaths in the last six months - I knew of 12 people struggling with grief. My first thought was then identifying what we could do to help those who are hurting.

‘I spoke with one lady who informed me she was upset about the loss of her husband, who had passed a few years ago. I asked her what she thought could be done to help and she said she would like to talk to people in a similar position. Another person said the same after they suffered with a loved one’s recent sudden death, they also said they’d love to be able to speak with others who understood.

‘A lady from Tavistock had posted in a local community forum online asking if there was a grief group in the area. I quickly did my own research and discovered the nearest was in Saltash which flagged up travel and accessibility concerns. I put out a post about setting up a group here and people responded quickly.’

The group met for the first time this month, with their second session taking place last week. Each session sees the group collectively choose a new exercise for those attending to participate in. In the first session, those attending shared memories of their loved ones and discussed how shock has affected them. In the second, they brought pictures of their loved ones, lit candles to celebrate their lives and shared poetry. This week’s session will be about discussing day-to-day diffulties and sharing methods of coping and in doing so, in turn supporting one another.

Ali said: ‘People are so naturally compassionate and empathetic - it’s been amazing to see how positively people have responded. It’s by far the most empowering group I’d ever been part of. We have a mix of men and women of all ages.

‘We are not a professional group; we’re focused on listening and friendship. We’re a safe space for people to talk. We do offer signposting to bereavement support from charities such as St Luke’s and Sue Ryder. I’m also receiving training from Devon County Council’s wellness service and a professional counsellor based in Cornwall.

‘People are welcome to come and go as they please and we welcome everyone. It’s flexible with no set guidelines. We’ve had people from Tavistock, Grenofen and Yelverton as well as Horrabridge.

‘We are all on a journey through life together. Grief affects everyone differently and it’s something we learn to live with. Here people can speak about those that they love knowing we’re here to support them.’

The group will running weekly up until Christmas. Afterwards, it is provisionally set to switch to a monthly format. If you would like to attend, the next session will take place today (Thursday 24) or speak with Ali on [email protected]