‘Life-saving’ Derry bereavement charity under threat

The future of a “life saving” Derry charity for people who have lost a loved one is in doubt due to funding cuts. Foyle Cruse Bereavement Care offers free support and counselling for people suffering from debilitating grief. It has helped around 10,000 people in the North West thanks to 196,000 voluntary hours from support workers, board members and fundraisers. Funding cuts have left the charity in a critical condition, but well known Derry personality Mickey Doherty has stepped forward to hold a concert to raise much needed cash. His show “The Story of My Life” is billed as a “musical extravaganza” and is the first public fundraising event in Foyle Cruse’s 28 year history. Susan Meehan, whose husband Ivor died a year a half ago, describes Cruse as her “life saver”. “If anything happened to Cruse it would be such a big loss for the city,” she said. “Where are people going to go? “I wasn’t ready to ask for help immediately after he died, but after about seven or eight months I just hit a wall. “I couldn’t go about my daily life. I couldn’t sleep. “I had post traumatic stress. “Foyle Cruse was a life saver me.” Susan’s 14-year-old daughter Molly also received counselling from the charity’s children’s service. “One day I brought my daughter in for her session and I had worked myself into such a state that I had pains in my chest. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack, but the staff were there to help me. “They brought me in and saw me too, even though I didn’t have an appointment. “Everybody needs help at some time. I was emotionally distressed and I needed help. “I can’t say enough to praise them.” The Western Health and Social Care Trust part subsidise the charity’s adult service, but the children’s services receive no government support. With funding proving increasingly difficult to access, the charity has been forced to cut its office hours in order to make ends meet. “We are managing, but it is critical” said Paula Bradley of Foyle Cruse. “A lot of money is having to be made up elsewhere and some services have been cut.” There are currently 56 volunteers at Foyle Cruse, but not all of them are active at the same time. The volunteer support workers under go extensive training and attend annual top up classes. Training costs are partly subsidised by Foyle Cruse, with the remainder paid by the volunteers themselves. There is currently a seven to eight week wait for an assessment and a further wait of over three months for counseling sessions to begin. Children seeking bereavement care must wait seven to eight months to be assessed and several more months for their treatment to begin. Clients are offered six sessions “but if they need 40 sessions they will get it,” said Therese. Foyle Cruse also offers group counseling sessions to people who feel they would benefit from it. “Nobody really knows about us until they need us,” explained Children’s Bereavment Support Worker Therese Melaugh. “So many mental health problems relate back to bereavement. “They are maybe coping, and then bereavement happens and they can’t carry on.” Mrs Melaugh, who won the ‘Volunteer Of The Year’ award in 2012, says the bereavement support workers find the work very rewarding. “People think that it’s all doom and gloom, but there can be great laughter too “And I think particularly with the work done in the children’s sessions, it can help people deal with future challenges in their life.” Mrs Bradley added: “One thing that comes through on all the feedback forms is ‘I got my life back’. “You can’t put a value on that “For every person that comes through the door there is a family behind them. “The work they do here helps get them back on an even keel and can get them back to work. “It’s a ripple effect.” If you would like to volunteer as a support worker or clerical worker or to access Cruse’s services please contact the charity on 028 71 262941 or drop into the offices at 17-21 Bishop Street (opposite Bishop’s Gate Hotel). Tickets for the show are priced at £10 and are available from the Cruse office or at the City Hotel.