It is with great pleasure that we announce that Stafford & District Bereavement & Loss
Support Service (SDBLSS) has been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in
recognition of our charity work in the community. We are extremely proud to receive this
accolade in recognition of the service we have been providing to adults experiencing
bereavement or loss in the Stafford, Stone and the surrounding district for the last 41
years
The Volunteers at SDBLSS offer free counselling and support to local people navigating
the difficulties that bereavement or loss bring and it is a privilege to walk alongside and
support those people who are going through difficult times. SDBLSS also provides
support to prisoners in HMP Stafford who are experiencing loss.
We must thank the King’s Award adjudicators for selecting our charity to receive this
prestigious award and of course, our Volunteers, who give their time and skills freely, for
their dedication, support and empathy. Also, thanks to our Trustees who manage the
running of the charity and our Admin staff who support the Volunteers, Trustees and the
people who contact our service for support.
SDBLSS links with universities offering student placements for students undertaking
degree courses in Counselling and Psychotherapy and provide ongoing training and
supervision to these students and all Volunteers involved with the service.
SDBLSS is also involved with the Circle of Friends’ group which was set up over 2 years
ago and co-hosted by one of our Volunteers. The group meets every 2 weeks between
2pm and 4pm at Coop Funeral Care in Stone, Staffordshire and is open to anyone
experiencing a loss or feels isolated and would like to join a social group for a cuppa and
chat. Co-op Funeral Care continue to support this group with both the venue and
refreshments.
The Staffordshire Independent Networking Group (SING) based in Stone has supported
SDBLSS for the last two years free of charge to help promote, support and fundraise for
the charity including printed t-shirts for local races, printing of leaflets, donations and
auction prizes.