Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care is delighted to announce the launch of a new Compassionate Café, run in partnership with Harpenden Trust, at its Well Bean Café, Harpenden Trust Halls (above the Co-op), 130 Southdown Road, Harpenden, AL5 1PU.

The Compassionate Café will take place on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, starting on Tuesday 7 November 2023, from 2-3.30pm.

The Compassionate Café, which will be open to people from the AL5 area, will provide a space for local people who have been affected by bereavement or any kind of loss to meet others by coming together for a cuppa and a chat.

The hospice charity is working in partnership with Harpenden Trust and its volunteers have been trained up by the hospice to help provide a welcoming space.

Each session will be run by the volunteers who are on hand to welcome and speak to attendees. The sessions will be informal in structure, guided by the needs of the people attending.

Sarah Holmes, the head of wellbeing at the Harpenden Trust, is excited about the launching the Compassionate Café and said: "The Harpenden Trust is delighted to partner with Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care to open our Well Bean Cafe as a Compassionate Café twice per month.

"The Trust works with Harpenden Health Primary Care Network and Mind in Mid Herts on a range of initiatives across Harpenden supporting the wellbeing of AL5 residents of all ages.

"Partnering with charities working in specific health sectors works well for the Harpenden Trust. It ensures our volunteers are equipped with the right skills and reassures anyone attending a partnership activity that it is a safe and understanding place for them to come."

Alison May, community engagement manager at Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, says: "It has been wonderful to see the impact our Compassionate Cafés have had on both volunteers and attendees in our existing locations, so we’re really looking forward to bringing this to Harpenden.

"The cafes are very informal in structure – they're not a support group or counselling session – but people who come along tell us that they get a huge amount out of the peer support, and the chance to meet other people who understand their loss.

"I’d encourage anybody in the area who has experienced any type of bereavement or loss to come along to the sessions and see what they can take away from them."

To find out more, visit https://renniegrovepeace.org/our-care-and-support/information-about-our-services/compassionate-cafes-bereavement-support, email compassion@renniegrovepeace.org or call 01923 330 330.