One woman’s personal loss gave her the gumption to help others, with greeting cards at the heart of her latest campaign. Carole Henderson, managing director of not for profit company Grief Recovery (UK) has spearheaded the publication of a leaflet which will encouraging people to send cards to those suffering loss by giving guidance to write inside the cards. Carole feels strongly about the important role greeting cards play when someone is grieving, be it as a result of death, divorce or other losses.
Carole founded the company, (which involves Grief Recovery Method training as well as campaigning) following the death of her husband in 2006 from skin cancer. Shattered by this enormous loss she sought help from a number of different directions, but found great comfort from the greeting cards she received.
The ‘What to write in the ‘with sympathy’ card’ leaflet details eases the sending of these all important cards – from suggesting sharing a fond memory and writing from the heart while dissuading any inference of ‘telling them how to feel’ or over using cliches.
The leaflets are already available in some funeral parlours, but Carole would dearly love top see them more widely available in greeting card shops, garden centres and gift shops.
Grief Recovery Method UK is now offering to send its leaflets (at a small charge) to greeting card retailers so they can have on offer for customers who may need some help in writing these messages of support.
Carole said: “We hear all too often about the pain caused by people saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. To help prevent this, our leaflet provides people with the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of what to say in a card.”
Carole is also keen to make contact with card publishers as she feels that there is still room for improvement on ‘sympathy’ and ‘thinking of you’ card designs. “This section of the market is one of the least served in terms of choice and suitability, with many of our clients saying they choose blank card options instead. I believe there is huge potential in creating genuinely helpful messages,” Carole told PG Buzz.
Grief Recovery Method UK delivers certified educational programmes to support anyone who has been through a loss, and trains others in how to help people. The company’s most popular blog post on writing sympathy cards was the inspiration behind the new leaflet.
The leaflets are available in bundles of 100 and can be ordered via the website www.griefrecoverymethod.co.uk/sympathy/. The organisation is asking for a nominal charge of £3.95 to cover the postage. Larger quantities of the leaflet are available on request.
