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A Sound START!

A Dewsbury woman has been inundated with thank you letters after coming to the aid of grieving people across North Kirklees.

Polly Smith, a qualified professional in bereavement aftercare, is the brains behind the new bereavement support group - START (support for today and reassurance for tomorrow), which is based at the headquarters of Eric F Box Funeral Directors on Bradford Road in Dewsbury.

Polly said: “START is a voluntary, community initiative. Before the programmes began there was a very limited provision in North Kirklees where people could get help to work through their own grief process.

“When we embarked on this initiative, we had no idea that the response would be so huge. We have run two programmes since last September (check) and the positive feedback has been overwhelming. One group member said that the experience had been a serious emotional benefit and it was what had kept them going during the most difficult times.”

START runs specialist courses and provides a safe and caring environment where people can share their emotions and pain following the loss of a loved one, no matter how long ago the bereavement was.

They are open to absolutely anyone of any age in North Kirklees, who is struggling to come to terms with their bereavement and are totally voluntary and free of charge.

The group meets once a week over a six-week period and includes group discussions and videos of other people’s experiences as well as follow up meetings.