Winchester Bereavement Support

27/10/2025

Last week we celebrated the latest volunteers to join us as Bereavement Visitors. We are so grateful to these lovely people who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the team, and are prepared to share that to help people who need support in coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.

This latest group have now completed their training with us, and are a great bunch of people, with interesting and relevant backgrounds. Welcome to the team ladies!

24/10/2025

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/25550920.hampshire-heroes-honoured-churchill-living-awards/

This week we are celebrating one of our lovely volunteers who has been named as Hampshire's Local Hero in the first ever Churchill Living Local Hero Awards. Rosemarie, 86, has dedicated more than 15 years to our charity, helping people navigate grief and loss with compassion and care. We rely entirely on volunteers like Rosemarie, who is also an active committee member and regular event organiser. Her empathy and gentle presence have comforted countless people during their most difficult moments. One client said: “When my wife died I felt lost and lonely. It left a big hole. Rosemarie didn’t fill that hole, but she helped me to manage my grief. I was able to find a future when, at first, I didn’t think I had one.”

Rosemarie says she felt “truly honoured” to receive the award and the £1,000 donation that accompanies it. “Wi******er Bereavement Support means so much to me, and I’m so proud to be part of a group of volunteers who give their time so selflessly. The donation will help us reach more people who are struggling with loss and need someone to listen.”

Huge Congratulations Rosemarie - richly deserved!

14/10/2025

We are thrilled to announce that the Royal Wi******er Golf Club have chosen Wi******er Bereavement Support as their Charity of the year.

This is fantastic news as we gear up to meet the increased demand - up by 50% in the last year - for our services.

The golf club expects to raise a five-figure sum to enable WBS to help those who seek its support and listening services after losing someone close to them.

RWGC Captain, John Quinn, said: “WBS do great, great work. Our club has made a commitment to support WBS so they can continue their work and to help them grow their services both to meet existing demand and increase their geographical area of support.”

“Anyone who has lost someone close knows just how difficult it is to cope with. Whilst many people have great networks of support, many do not. And others feel more comfortable talking to someone trained in listening and understanding. These are the needs that WBS help fulfil.”

The donation from Royal Wi******er Golf Club will help WBS to expand its team of caring, compassionate, dedicated and well-trained volunteers. In so doing, they aim to double the number of local people they are able to support in their time of need.

Leonie Mountney, Chair of WBS said, “We are thrilled and so grateful to have been chosen by the Royal Wi******er Golf Club as this year's charity. Such a generous donation, at a time when there are more calls for our services, means we can enlist more Bereavement Visitors and their professionally trained Supervisors to help many more people struggling to come to terms with the death of a loved one”.

WBS is a free, confidential, one-to-one home visit or telephone service for anyone aged 18 or over, serving a 10 mile radius across Wi******er including Romsey, Chandlers Ford, Sutton Scotney and Alresford. “We want people to know we are here for anyone grieving at any time. Just a phone call or email is the first port of call to get the help of a Bereavement Visitor”. says Leonie.

The WBS service is available for adults at any stage of bereavement by contacting support@wbs.org.uk or phoning 07450 649679. If you would like to volunteer with WBS, please contact info@wbs.org.uk.

10/10/2025

Today is world mental health day. Bereavement has such a profound impact on mental health - and you shouldn’t have to face it alone. If you are struggling following a bereavement then please do reach out to us. We’re here to listen

04/09/2025

Are you a trained Supervisor, or a supervisor in training, with membership of BACP, UKCP or HCPC and at least three years post qualification experience, including bereavement counselling?

If so, Wi******er Bereavement Support would love to hear from you. We are looking for a new supervisor, local to Wi******er, to join our team to provide monthly supervision for a small group of voluntary bereavement visitors. We would be prepared to consider a supervisor in training as we offer a contribution of up to 50% towards training costs, subject to a commitment of approximately three hours pcm, for a minimum period of 24 months.

You would be fully supported by other volunteer supervisors and by monthly meetings with a Senior Supervisor. This is an unpaid role but reasonable expenses are reimbursed. For further information and a full role description please email secretary@wbs.org.uk

25/07/2025

Wednesday saw many of our bereavement visitors coming together for one of our regular development training sessions. This time the theme was on "boundaries" - how do we ensure that your boundaries are respected, whilst giving you the chance to talk openly about your loss? What about the boundaries of our volunteers? The session was thought provoking, covering topics such as touch, private space, and mutual respect, and was a lovely opportunity for our wonderful volunteers to come together and learn from each other.

22/07/2025

Due to increased demand for our services, we are currently looking for people in the Wi******er area to become volunteer bereavement visitors. We will be running a training course this autumn and are inviting people to apply.

Do you, or someone you know, have a few hours spare each week, and would like to make a real difference to someone who is struggling with bereavement? All our volunteers say how rewarding the work they do it If you think this might be something you could do, please message us with your email address for more information.

04/07/2025

Lovely article in the Hampshire Chronicle about our new, lovely volunteers

All applicants are interviewed before starting their training to ensure they understand the charity’s ethos and approach.

23/06/2025

This week is Small Charity Week. Wi******er Bereavement Support is a small local charity, with approximately 50 volunteers, and no paid staff. Yet the impact we have can be huge, as the quote below shows. Every year we actively recruit more volunteers - if you might be interested, keep an eye out for further details later in the year. If you feel you or someone you know may benefit from our help, please do contact us.

"It was such a relief to talk about my feelings to someone who understood and was able to give such excellent advice, support and encouragement. I felt such a lot of solace from having been listened to and being able to tell her about my wonderful son was so helpful. I’m so very grateful."

03/06/2025

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around"

As we mark Volunteer week, the above quote was shared with us by one of our lovely volunteers as it sums up why she volunteers. She goes on to say "I was stopped by the manager in the supermarket this week to thank me so much for the help when one of their colleagues died, saying what a great help it had been to the team".

Wi******er Bereavement Support is run entirely by volunteers and we are immensely proud of every one of them for the impact they have.

25/05/2025

This week it was our AGM. As well as the annual review of finances etc., it was wonderful to hear about the 74 bereaved people in the area we were able to support this last year, and to welcome several of our 8 new, fully trained volunteer visitors, full of enthusiasm. Once the business of the day was finished, there was a chance to catch up over coffee (and as we all know, no event is complete without cake!) followed by a training session on the importance of self care, ensuring our team are in the best frame of mind and physical health to offer support to others in the future.

Did I mention the cake? It was delicious!!

(Photo description: a village hall, with several people listening attentively to a speaker at the front of the room)

11/05/2025

As we reach the end of Dying Matters week, we've been reflecting on feedback from some of our former clients. It's always heart-warming to know you've made a difference. The following is one such example:

"A accompanied me so gently through the different stages of my bereavement. I didn’t want to offload onto family and close friends, she knew perfectly how to handle this. As well as words she understands the power of silence. It has been a very restorative experience".

Photo is of the bench WBS funded in memory of those who died during the COVID Pandemic - somewhere for people to sit a reflect.