We can help you

You can contact us by telephone or by email

By Telephone

If you are reading this between 10 a.m. and 12.00 a.m. Monday to Friday, you can call now on 01865 245398 and talk to a telephone helper. This is probably the fastest way to get a response from us. The person who answers your call will be trained to respond sensitively and will ask you some straightforward questions about your bereavement and contact details.

By Email

You can email us: info@oxfordcruse.co.uk

This confidential information is passed to an allocation officer who will find the right help for you.

Our Services

One-to-One Sessions with a Bereavement Support Volunteer (BSV)

There is usually a waiting time before you see the volunteer (this can be up to 6 weeks in busy periods) who will contact you by phone to arrange a convenient time to meet.

The Bereavement Support Volunteer (BSV) is professionally trained to the highest Cruse national standards. Anything you share with them is entirely confidential. Volunteers must attend meetings where their work is supervised, to make sure you are getting the best care.

The volunteer is there to listen and help you work through your grief; there is no limit on how many sessions you can have. Cruse uses counselling to help you find your personal way through grief.

Meetings with the BSV can be in the office in central Oxford or in your own home. There is no charge for these sessions although donations are very welcome.

Bereavement Support Groups

These are groups of people who may have experienced similar bereavement problems. You are able to talk things over together with the help of two experienced BSV’s. Each group runs for 6 weeks. These groups meet in the Oxford office. There is no charge for these sessions although donations are very welcome.

Friendship Groups

These are social groups, designed for those people who have moved on a stage in their grieving and would like to be in the company of others who understand their situation. It is hoped that the groups will also support the work of Cruse by fundraising. There is a small subscription charge to join.


Groups meet in Oxford at lunchtime on the 2nd Monday of each month, Abingdon in the afternoon of the 4th Tuesday of each month and in Wallingford, first Thursday of each month at 12.30. Please phone 01865 245398 for further details.

Some insights into bereavement

If you’ve reached this website it’s likely you are suffering the grief of bereavement, or you are trying to find help for someone who is grieving.

Bereavement is not talked about very openly in our society and often we don’t have the words for expressing our feelings on this topic. For some people, grieving may follow a natural course and they will either resolve difficult feelings or learn how to live with them. But not many of us know what to expect emotionally after someone’s death. When a bereaved person cannot deal with these difficult feelings, the effect on their life and the lives of others can be immense. The ripples of sadness and anger can spread exceedingly wide; creating a person who can become a less effective parent, student, employee, friend or leader – and at worst may become a strain on the Health Service and their families.

And no one is potentially immune; the strong feelings around bereavement affect people in all walks of life, from the busy or lonely, young or old, wealthy or under-resourced.

The death of someone will bring up feelings and these will be different depending on circumstances and your own life experiences. For example, the loss of a parent or child will probably cause stronger emotions than that of a distant acquaintance – but this might not always be the case. If you’ve witnessed the tragic death of a stranger, you may have a harder time emotionally than if you’d lost a well-loved grandmother at the end of her long and happy life.

When you grieve, you grieve in a way that is particular to you. Most importantly, nothing you do to help you through that experience is wrong or abnormal. Understanding that grieving is hard work is helpful start - and when you work hard you also need to take care of yourself.

Bereavement can cause you to be sad, angry, stressed, forgetful, disinterested in life, fatigued, depressed and anxious. Equally, there can be moments when you feel like laughing or enjoying yourself and you find pleasure in your work.

What’s important is accepting your feelings and understanding that grief is a process you can travel through.

You may fear that you will break down and cry in front of people. In the depths you might feel you are going mad - especially if you are experiencing hallucinations. There may be strong sense of searching for the person you have lost and acute despair and loneliness.You may want answers to questions that can’t be given or you may just feel numb and have lost pleasure in life.

It may be helpful to share all these feelings. Family and friends can be good people to talk to but, for many reasons, you might want to find another sympathetic ear. Our Bereavement Support Volunteers (BSVs) have experience of helping people through grieving; they have been trained to listen and help you work your way through the emotional work of grief.

You may find that one meeting with a BSV – in our office or in your home – may be all you need. However, the service is available for as long as you need it, free of charge.

Please look at the different services we have to offer at the beginning of this ‘We Can Help’ section. You can also telephone our helpline for further details. An understanding volunteer will answer your call.

To get help, call us on 01865 245398
10 a.m. to 12 noon each weekday morning