Sue Ryder

Sue Ryder recently announced a new vision - a society that supports everyone through dying and grief.

A society where the voices of people who are grieving or dying are heard, where everyone gets the care and support they need and services are integrated with the wider healthcare system.

A society where everybody can have open and honest conversations with their friends and family to help them prepare for death and where people with a life-limiting diagnosis are supported to live well in the time they have left.

Where trusted resources, information and bereavement services are accessible to everybody who needs them and where communities across the country provide compassion and support to those in need so that nobody grieves alone.

To help us achieve our vision, we have set ourselves three key goals:

1. Better grief support for everyone 2. Helping people who are dying to live well

3. Speaking up for people who are grieving or dying

Find out more: https://www.sueryder.org/about-us/what-we-do/vision-mission-values

Thank you to our Work for Good supporters for continuing to help us be there when it matters.

Sue Ryder Nurses and our healthcare teams work tirelessly to provide vital expert and compassionate care. However, the cost of being there for people and their families during the hardest times of their lives is increasing.

Over the last three years, we’ve seen a huge increase of 20% in the cost to us of providing our care while our statutory funding has only increased by less than 3%.

Today, we’re asking for your support to help us get through this cost of dying crisis. A donation will mean that more people can get the help they need at the end of life or after the death of a loved one.

You can support us by donating now: sueryder.org/DonateNow or choosing to support Sue Ryder through your business and Work for Good.

To all of our existing Work for Good partners - thank you, we couldn't do our work without you.

Research carried out by Sue Ryder has found that three quarters (74%) of bereaved people say their emotions around grief make them feel guilty on a weekly basis. In addition, over two thirds (69%) of people have been scared or embarrassed to talk about their emotions whilst grieving.

At Sue Ryder, we want to acknowledge that grief affects people in different ways. For many, grief includes not just sadness but a range of complicated emotions that can be hard to process, from anger and frustration to fear and resentment. This could be for a multitude of reasons:

- if they were estranged from the person who has died

- if the person who died left behind a lot of debt

- if they feel frustrated about their last words or an argument that took place before their friend or family member died.

Our new ‘To be honest’ campaign aims to highlight that there is no ‘normal’ way to grieve and all feelings are valid. We want to encourage people to open up about their honest experiences of grief and be grief kind towards those around them who have experienced bereavement, so that no one feels alone when grieving.

A Sue Ryder branded telephone box was installed at the seafront in Brighton, and we invited members of the public to use it as a safe space to share their feelings around grief and bereavement, including any negative or traditionally more ‘taboo’ emotions.

People could leave voice messages on a phone, which were then emailed to them so they can share with their family and friends when they feel ready. Alternatively, we also provided pens and paper so people could write down their feelings and stick them onto the walls of the phone box. The exhibit encouraged people to be raw and honest, using their anonymity as an incentive to be open.

Once inside the phone box, people could also listen to a message of support, which signposted to Sue Ryder’s free Online Bereavement Support. Sue Ryder representatives and bereavement counsellors were also be on hand to answer any questions from members of the public and to share information about our services.