Forget Me Not groups in Leicestershire aim to help people who have lost a loved one talk about their grief while creating lasting friendships

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 02/06/2017


Five new groups have been launched in Leicestershire and Warwickshire to offer help, friendship and support to those who have lost a loved one.

The Forget Me Not bereavement group project was launched by Central England Co-operative Funeralcare to bring people together who have lost someone, to talk about their loss but also to socialise and create lasting friendships.

Originally starting out life in Derbyshire, the project has now been extended to five new groups in Bilton, Rugby, Ullesthorpe, Lutterworth, Abbeyoak and Humberstone Road, Leicester, and Pinfold Gate, Loughborough.

Andy Eeley, Funeral Director at Wilf Smith and Son in both Ullesthorpe, spoke about his decision to bring the Forget Me Not idea to the area.

He said: “The group is not just a bereavement group. It is something more. It allows people who have experienced similar things to come together and speak about their grief if they want to, but also to talk about anything else.”

The Wilf Smith and Son, in Bilton, will host their Forget Me Not meeting from 10am to noon every fourth Wednesday. The first session is taking place on June 21.

Wilf Smith and Son, in Ullesthorpe, will run from 9.30am to noon on a Thursday every two weeks. The next meeting will take place on June 15.
Co-operative Funeralcare, in Pinfold Gate, has also launched a Forget Me Not group in a bid to help people in the community who have lost a loved one.

Funeral Director Maggie Bethell said: “It is an informal group that anyone can come along to. It is also the kind of group where you can come as and when you need it. We will always be here for those that need us.”

The Co-operative Funeralcare, in Abbeyoak, will run from 2pm to 4pm on a Friday every two weeks. The next meeting will take place on June 16.

The Humberstone Road meeting will be from 10am to 1pm every four weeks. The first meeting will be on June 21. 

The Co-operative Funeralcare, in Pinfold Gate, will host a meeting from 2pm to 4pm every Thursday four weekly. The first will take place on June 29.

More information about Central England Co-operative Funeralcare is available by visiting 
http://www.centralengland.coop/funeral-services

    Notes to editors:

Find out more about Forget Me Not by watching a special created film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-HAdsBiYuA
    The below code can be used to embed the film on your website:
frameborder="0" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;left:0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. The company’s funeral business consists of over 120 funeral homes across 16 counties, 10 florists, masonry production and administration, Bretby Crematorium and Terry Smiths coffin factory.

Central England Co-operative has more than 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store and funeral home development programme for 2017. 

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, @mycooplife and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop