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Hospice launches bereavement support walking group Walk On

08 September 2021

Independent Suffolk charity, St Elizabeth Hospice has extended its support to the local community with the launch of Walk On, a walking group run by the hospice’s bereavement support service, LivingGrief.

Taking place on 7th September the first Walk On meet saw a number of people join to take part in a 45 minute walk, starting at 10am from The Hold, along the historic Ipswich waterfront and surrounding area.

Created by St Elizabeth Hospice volunteer Dennis Tattoo, who has worked closely with hospice staff, including the hospice’s Emotional Wellbeing, Spiritual Care and LivingGrief Team Leader, Katherine Grogan, Walk On aims to give all the opportunity to meet new people, talk about shared experiences and offer support to one another, while also enjoying a sense of wellbeing brought by walking in the outdoors.

Dennis, who has been a volunteer at the hospice since 2017, said: “It was fantastic to host our first Walk On group, which was kindly led by town guide Mike Garland, along Ipswich Waterfront on what was a beautiful, warm sunny morning.

“The group joined together to enjoy a walk along the glorious, historic waterfront to meet new friends and share conversation about life and experiences of bereavement, while supporting one another in the process.

“All are welcome to join our Walk On groups and we will be looking to host future groups in new locations, guided by feedback from participants. As well as in due course we hope to offer walks on weekends to allow those who work during the week the chance to attend. So please do get in touch as we are keen to meet lots of new faces.”

Walk On provides an additional step to St Elizabeth Hospice’s LivingGrief pathway for bereavement support and signposting further support available, while also serving to decrease isolation and provide an informal setting for companionship and peer to peer sharing of experience.

Anyone is welcome to attend the Walk On meets, which are to take place once every two weeks, even if they have had no prior support from St Elizabeth Hospice.

Walk On also links to St Elizabeth Hospice’s involvement in Compassionate Communities, a national movement which empowers communities to support each other during death, dying and bereavement.

The next Walk On meet is to take place on Monday 20th September from 10am at The Hold in Ipswich and will see the group walk around Holywells Park in Ipswich and the surrounding area.

To register for free to Walk On and to find a full list of upcoming Walk On meets visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walk-on-walking-group-tickets-168705449541.

For more information call 0300 3035196 or visit www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/walk-on/.