For over 15 years, the Rushcliffe Branch of Cruse Bereavement Care was based at
the Mental Health unit on George Road West Bridgford, but in September last
year we were told that the licence to use the premises would not be renewed.
We were faced with the possibility of having to close the service as there were
insufficient funds available to pay the rent required by alternative premises.
All financial support for the charity is raised locally and as local authority and
NHS funding have been reduced in recent years, we have to rely on our own
fundraising efforts and donations. After spending some time searching for new
premises to work from, I contacted my local County Councillor Gordon Wheeler,
who shared our concerns for the future of Cruse in Rushcliffe and supported
the valuable work that we do. Through his efforts, we were offered use of rooms
in County Hall. We are very grateful to Cllr Wheeler for supporting us and making it possible for Cruse to continue working in Rushcliffe. There are 16 volunteers working for Rushcliffe who are all highly trained to help people at one of the most difficult times of their life. Examples of comments made by people who have been helped by Cruse indicate how important the service is: "I thought there was nothing to live for after my husband died, but Cruse has helped me through my darkest days and given me hope for the future."
"I thought I would never be able to face my important school exams after the death of my father, but you have walked with me through every step and enabled me to move forward and train for my dream career". Cruse is the UK’s largest free bereavement charity and is open to anyone in need of support. To contact Nottinghamshire Cruse call 0115 924 4404 or email nottinghamshire@cruse.org.uk. This article was written by Glenys Duce, on behalf of Cruse.