Anam Cara, the organisation that supports bereaved parents, is hosting its next monthly parent Evening on Thursday 14th of December from 19:30 to 21:00 in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal (please note change of venue).

The meeting offers parents a safe and comfortable forum where they can connect with other bereaved parents who will understand the depth of their loss and grief.

One bereaved mother who attended a recent Anam Cara event said: “Both my husband and I felt it helped us in our grief to be in a place where we felt safe and comfortable to express the way we feel and think.

“I am good at talking but my husband is deep and I find for him the more interaction we have with other parents like ourselves then he gets the nerve to say something. It might be small but it’s a start.”

Anam Cara CEO Sharon Vard stressed that this event is open to all bereaved parents “regardless of the age your child died, the circumstances of their death or whether the death was recent or not.”

For those considering attending but unsure, Ms Vard suggested they have a look at the website, anamcara.ie. “There, in their own time, parents can watch our short videos with testimonies from bereaved parents and couples who have attended Anam Cara events. The videos, which are just four minutes each, show parents interviewed on topics like A Dad’s Grief, Sudden and Traumatic Death, and The Grieving Family.”

A dad who attends the group urged bereaved parents to give it a try. “The solidarity experienced by being among people who are bound together by a common feeling of appalling loss is a great help. None of us wanted to be in this group nor would wish it on others but the feeling of understanding – which doesn’t need to be verbally expressed – is a support. We all understand.”

For more information see anamcara.ie or ring their Information Line on 085 2888 888.