Douglas Alexander MP is highlighting a newly launched Bereavement Hub to provide information and advice to the Armed Forces community, the first of its kind in the UK.
The Hub has been developed by Jilly Carrell whose serving husband, Colonel Nick Carrell, sadly died in 2021, working with Beyond the Wire, a not-for-profit organisation working to improve the experience and long-term outcomes of the Armed Forces bereaved community.
Following an extraordinary amount of volunteer work from a wide range of experts and professionals, together with funding from the Veterans’ Foundation and other donors, the Hub was officially opened online earlier this month, ready to support military personnel, veterans and their families, friends and colleagues.
Welcoming the Hub, Douglas Alexander MP said:
“Losing a loved one is hard enough for any of us, but for service personnel and their families the practical and emotional complexities involved in a bereavement can be overwhelming.
“Families may have to leave service accommodation and a community they have known for many years, find a new home, move children to different schools and navigate changes to benefits and financial support – all while coping with their grief and loss.
“The Bereavement Hub has been developed to provide essential information, advice and guidance on these and other issues in an easily accessible format. It’s an excellent resource which could make a real difference to families at an incredibly difficult time.”
The development of the Hub has been widely welcomed across the Armed Forces community, and there is now interest from those working in the blue-light services and beyond in adapting the model to meet the needs of other communities facing bereavement.
The Bereavement Hub can be accessed at bereavementhub.org.uk.