Friends of Philips Park cemetery

Children Grieve Too

A unique project has been created by the Friends of Philips Park Cemetery group, with support from staff in the bereavement services team. This has seen a new feature installed at Philips Park cemetery, designed to support families – especially children – experiencing grief.

The initiative, jointly funded by the Friends group and bereavement services, incorporates educational activities, community working and signposting to support services. A new ‘Teddy Paws’ nature hunt trail features four animal-themed rubbing posts and 12 wooden animal carvings hidden in the trees, created by local sculptor Mike Burgess. Activity sheets have been created to help children follow the trail, and signs created by local businesses also display useful information about available support for grieving families and children.

Rachel Kuehl, bereavement services manager, said: "I'm so proud of the hard work put in by the team to make this happen. It is a fantastic example of our staff working in partnership with the community to develop and create a bespoke way to offer targeted support to our residents”.

The Friends group have been running since 2008 and have managed to raise over £150,000 for Philips Park Cemetery.

The latest project, “Children Grieve Too" brings children's activities in the cemetery for bereaved children. They can often be overlooked during hard or sad times for families. This is believed to be the first of its kind in all cemeteries across the UK and has been achieved with the support of Manchester City Council.

The project aim is to help young people accept and learn that grieving is a natural part of bereavement. As well as providing a physical space where they can go to, it also offers guidance and direction to young people and their families signposting them to appropriate support should they need it. It provides information about how to contact local support groups and charities that specialise in bereavement support.

The “Teddy Paws Trail” features a nature hunt of hidden animal carvings and animal themed rubbing posts, with an activity pack available for children to complete along the way. There is also a brightly coloured Teddy Paws children’s bench and a display tree where children can have their artwork on display in the cemetery. It is hoped these activities will also provide an opportunity for young people to learn about biodiversity and reconnect with nature whilst at the same time giving them some much needed respite.

In addition to the project this year the Friends group were successful in applying for funding to buy children's bereavement leaflets and have them on display to take.

There is a large banner on the gate advertising the project, traffic calming signs along the route and teddy Paw prints in the tarmac on the ground which the children follow.

This is one of many projects the Friends group have undertaken within the cemetery. There are colourful birdhouses, painted by children from a local school and a beautiful wooden sculpture of a butterfly with a poem underneath to mark a crossing. They have also created a garden for parents who are mourning the loss of stillborn children and babies that didn’t get a chance to grow up. The garden is designed with children in mind. It has a sculpture of a teddy bear and a rainbow painted on the ground. For a small fee of £20 an artist will paint a pebble with the name of the child to be placed in the garden.

By Gail Spelman, Chair, Friends of Philips Park Cemetery