Horden Youth & Community Centre (HYCC) is a bustling and vibrant building in a former East Durham mining village. They are a non-profit charity organisation that brings local people together with a diverse range of social activities, training courses and clubs. Their fundamental purpose is “serving the community”, and last year over 4,500 people benefitted from their various amenities.
Within HYCC a brand-new face-to-face support group has been set up, ‘4ever my child.’
They offer support and guidance specifically to bereaved parents who have lost a child under any circumstances along with counselling to other family members. The group will run for 50 weeks per year on a scheduled program covering stages of grief including physical and emotional effects, loneliness, looking after yourself, managing difficult emotions dates and finding a meaning to move on.
The group’s guidance and support will continue for as long as required and be facilitated by a lady who has directly been affected by child loss. The facilitator is proficient in counselling with a wide knowledge and understanding of safeguarding.
Chief Executive Officer Selina Turner had heard about the charitable grants that freemasons would consider for worthy charitable causes and applied to the freemasons of Durham for a Community Support Grant.
Representing Durham Benevolence, freemason Stewart K Bell visited HYCC where he met up with Selina and General Manager Zeela Lloyd. Child bereavement is a very emotional subject and the ladies explained how it does not matter how old your child is, an infant or an adult, if you lose them through bereavement the emotions can be devastating to the parents and families and difficult to come to terms with.
‘4ever my child’ hope to be able to assist in whatever way they can.
Stewart, as a Father and freemason, felt proud and fulfilled to present Selina and Zeela with a certificate from the Durham freemasons to go with a £1,000 grant awarded from Durham Benevolence. The ladies sent a huge thank you to the Durham freemasons and added that “this financial boost will go a long way to helping us offer child bereavement assistance to all”.
L-R Selina, Zeela
