£1,500 raised for local charity helping pupils deal with grief

PUPILS from an Omagh school have raised more than £1,500 for a local charity that is helping to raise awareness of grief and loss.

Year 9 students at Loreto Grammar School donated the incredible amount after holding a sponsored walk for Cruse Bereavement Support.

Loreto and Cruse have been working in partnership to create a school environment where everyone who has been affected by grief, is supported, heard, respected and understood.

Shauna Keyes, Deputy Head Girl at Loreto, initiated a ‘Grief in Common’ group for young people who have been directly impacted by loss.

The vision was to unite students and create an additional support network.

Shauna worked closely with Linda from Cruse to organise four workshops to help young people on their grief journey. Linda led active and cathartic workshops for students, and they found comfort and support in the weekly sessions.

Since then, Linda from Cruse has trained Year 9 and Year 13 students to become ‘Grief Allies’ equipping young people with the skills and knowledge to support people experiencing loss.

The Year 9 and Year 13 students valued this experience and felt that it was helpful for managing difficult conversations with their peers or anyone experiencing loss.

To acknowledge this incredible work, Year 9 students organised the sponsored walk.

Loreto at the school continue to support those who are grieving through a ‘Remembrance Tree’ in the foyer, where students and the school community can write a note to their loved one.

A spokesperson for the school said, “Linda and the Cruse team have been a wonderful support to Loreto Grammar School, and they hope to continue working with them in the future.”