A public meeting will be held at the Crown Hotel in Stone at 7pm on Monday 1st December for local people to get involved in new support groups following the tragic events in the town this year.
The public meeting will include guest speakers who will briefly share information around young people coping with grief and bereavement, as well as depression and the aftermath of suicide, followed by a Question & Answer session.
After tea/coffee break, anyone wishing to can reconvene and meet in small separate groups to share some thoughts and experiences or simply observe and listen. The meeting will run until 9pm.
David Leech, support groups co-ordinator, said: “At the meeting we intend to announce the times and venues of the regular group meetings and self-help groups so that ongoing support is available to anyone wishing to take advantage of these. We urge anyone who may be able to help in some way or may be seeking help, support and information to attend the public meeting and work toward making sure that local people are supported now and for the long term.
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the owners of the Crown Hotel for providing this venue, for this meeting, free of charge.”
An informal meeting was held on Sunday 16th November to set the support group work in motion – more details of what happened at that meeting are on our website HERE
Charlie Odell from The Dove Service in Hanley said: “As an organisation we could also offer a half-day training session for professionals working with Children & Young people in any capacity, i.e. in school, theatre groups, guides, churches etc around working with bereavement and loss. It may be that two people from each of the local schools would be interested in attending? We’re not currently funded to work in the Stone area but we can offer this for free as long as someone can offer a room and some refreshments.
“If anyone in the community is particularly struggling or has questions about their child, or is worried about their child, they can always give us a call on 01782 683155 and speak to me or one of our other counsellors just to get some advice.”
