The Bernadette Community Support Group has widenened its outreach to include visiting the elderly who have found themselves alone in life, people who simply don't see many people from one week to the next. Some have family living quite some distance from them. Others just don't have any family at all.
They were all widowed some time ago and are trying to get on with their lives as best they can. Most of them are in their late 80's and like nothing more than a chat over a cup of tea! We also visit some people with disabilities which prevent them from getting out and about.
This is a befriending service for our community rather than a bereavement support group. We are currently looking at ways to include our brothers and sisters in certain celebrations, say at Christmas and Easter, or even just for a Sunday lunch or BBQ, to invite them as friends around our own tables, as a part of our own families.
This is a unique generation of men and women. Most have a memory of the war years having either played a role in active service or having been evacuated to strangers in the countryside as youngsters. Many were taken away from their families for their own safety. Some lost their parents who remained behind during the Blitz. Their stories are rich and extraordinary; harrowing and painful. These are people whose life experiences when retold are beyond amazing and their personal sacrifices during years of world conflict and suffering will count for nothing if we don't care for them today. Their experience and wisdom about life is too frequently left unexplored.
If anyone feels they could give an hour a week/fortnight of their time, especially in the North and East Herts area, then please contact us. Contact Nicola