Compassionate Communities

One year on...

Moving palliative and end of life care beyond the professional world and making it everyone’s business is what our work is about, and the hospice values of care and compassion, respect, partnership and trust are at the heart of how we go about it.

By focusing on what’s strong rather than what’s wrong, we’ve been working alongside local people and neighbourhoods interested in building compassionate communities together; ones that are open to engaging in healthy conversations about death, dying grief and loss, and to offering support in meaningful and practical ways to those living with poor health, dying or grieving in their midst. Here are some of their stories:

To Absent Friends: St Mark’s Portobello

To Absent Friends is a week-long festival that invites people across Scotland to create and share memories and stories, grieve and celebrate the people they have loved who have died. During 2020 so many of us also experienced the kind of losses that extend beyond the death of loved ones into losses of physical and emotional health, employment and financial security, faith, relationships and community participation. In recognition of this, we worked alongside St Mark’s Episcopal Church in Portobello to create a reflective space within their graveyard and gardens. Accessible to all in the community, it was a place for those who wished to mark personal stories of grief, uncertainty, loss and hope.

North Berwick: Compassionate Community

Undaunted by the limitations imposed on us all by the pandemic we’ve been working to develop a growing network of communitybased Compassionate Neighbours using an online blend of discussion, reflection and learning. Many of these neighbours are now matched locally and offering their time, kindness and company to people living with the impact of a life-limiting condition, who might otherwise be feeling lonely or socially isolated.

With the easing of Covid-19 restrictions some neighbours are making cautious, socially-distanced plans to meet each other, whilst for others less confident this feels a step too far. Unlike the many hospice volunteers who give generously of their time, care and diverse talents to support so many aspects of hospice life, a Compassionate Neighbour is a little different, and best described as someone who sees themselves as part of a community-led social movement; building meaningful relationships that can help increase resilience and capacity in the communities where they live, work and play. Over the summer we’ll be posting more information on the hospice website about how you can get involved.

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COMPASSIONATE NEIGHBOURS ACROSS EDINBURGH AND EAST LOTHIAN

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NEIGHBOURLY AND MUTUALLY ENJOYABLE CONNECTIONS

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HOURS OF TELEPHONE CALLS AND LETTERWRITING CONTACT Since hosting its first To Absent Friends event in 2015 this small group of local people has been working hard to nurture what’s strong about North Berwick. Their passionate commitment, alongside an ability to involve other local organisations and community groups has resulted in a variety of imaginative, communitybased events that are helping create opportunities for people to talk about death, dying, grief and loss. In 2019 the group was selected as one of five Truacanta projects across Scotland and when lockdown hit in March the following year they re-launched online, with a series of five ‘Armchair Chats’ designed to raise public awareness and promote ‘Compassionate Communities in North Berwick 2021: Fringe by the Sea’ programme. It has been a privilege to partner with North Berwick Compassionate Community in realising their vision for a local Compassionate Neighbours hub, and in March of this year their first group of six volunteers completed their training with us.