IN BRIEF
ABBEYFIELD RESIDENTS
MAKE THE MOST OF
EASTER FIRST STEPS TO FINDING
FRIENDSHIP AFTER
LOSING A PARTNER
It’s been another busy month for the residents at Lear
House in West Kirby. Withdrawing socially is normal after losing a partner. But
when the time feels right to join in again, local friendship
group Mersey Oddfellows say they can help make those
daunting first steps a little easier to take.
As well as their usual activities, they've been out and about,
celebrating Easter with designer hats and welcoming some animal
friends to the house!
Ailsa Wright, General Manager at Abbeyfield said: "Our ladies and
gentlemen enjoyed a trip to The Red Fox in Thornton Hough for
traditional afternoon tea. We had lovely food in great surroundings
and we all enjoyed the afternoon.
Margaret Hughes, Branch Secretary for the Mersey District said:
“Wanting time alone or to stay in is only natural following the loss
of a partner, and the time it takes to feel ready to step out and meet
people again is a very personal thing. It can be a matter of weeks for
some, or possibly years for others. Our advice is to take it one step at
a time and to do it when it feels right.”
With over two centuries of experience in offering friendship and
support to its local members, the Liverpool and Wirral based Branch
of the Oddfellows is no stranger to supporting people through
difficult times.
"Our craft activity for Easter was decorating hats ready for our annual
Easter Bonnet Parade. This year we had an amazing range of hats all
beautifully decorated by our residents with a little help from the staff,
children from the local nursery and one of our student volunteers
who comes in after school.
"Later in the month, we played host to a group of animals from
Home Safari Animal Assisted Therapy including baby goats, chicks, a
skunk, a rabbit and a skinny pig! We had a great afternoon with our
animal friends. It's been a very busy month, but great fun for all of our
residents!"
To find out more about Abbeyfield, visit www. abbeyfieldwestkirby.
co.uk/ or www.facebook.com/abbeyfieldhoylake/.
10 wirrallife.com
Margaret continued: “When you’ve lost someone it can be hard to
muster up the courage to join in and meet new people again. We
understand how daunting it can be as you probably did a lot of things
as a couple. Sustaining friendships can seem hard after a loss, but over
time the people around you will be a crucial part of helping you to
cope moving forward.
“There are so many wonderful things to get involved with locally. We’d
recommend coming along to for tea and conversation on Wednesday
1st June 2019 in Wallasey, as it’s a great first event for those who would
like to meet new people. We’ve seen many supportive friendships form
within our group, especially between other widows and widowers
because they just know what each other is going through.”
To have a chat with somebody ahead of trying out an event, or to
receive Mersey Branch’s latest events diary, contact Margaret Hughes
on [email protected] or call 0151 639 2777 between
10am and 4pm Monday to Friday. For information on the Oddfellows
and further advice on socialising again after losing a partner visit
www.oddfellows.co.uk/firststeps.