Last night, The Queen hosted a reception at St James’s Palace to celebrate Cruse Bereavement Care’s 60th anniversary. The Queen is Patron of Cruse Bereavement Care, a grief charity that offers free bereavement support, advice and information through a network of nearly 5,000 volunteers.
Cruse volunteers provide one-to-one support for the death of loved ones and following devastating events, including 9/11 and the Grenfell Tower Fire. After the Grenfell tragedy, a team of Cruse volunteers were based at Grenfell’s Family and Friends Assistance Centre for nine months.
The reception was an opportunity for the charity to recognise the hard work and dedication of the volunteers who provide support throughout the UK. In the past year, the Cruse volunteers have given support to almost 60,000 people.
A number of attendees at the reception were originally supported by Cruse Bereavement Care and now dedicate their time to support others going through a similar experience.
Steve Wibberley, Chief Executive of Cruse Bereavement Care, said, “We are delighted that Her Majesty The Queen could join us for our 60th anniversary celebrations. The event was a fantastic way to recognise the incredible work that our volunteers do to support people after a love one dies. They are the lifeblood of the organisation and we couldn’t do the work that we do without them.”
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Yolanda Clarke, a volunteer of the charity, said:“I wanted to volunteer for Cruse because after my parents and brother died, I came to the conclusion that my purpose in life was to use my experiences of loss and bereavement to help other bereaved people. I enjoy being a bereavement volunteer and seeing the people I support become more hopeful as they explore and understand their grief.”
Her Majesty The Queen enjoyed celebrating the milestones of Cruse Bereavement Care, as she did in 2009 when commemorating the charity’s Golden Jubilee at Buckingham Palace and their 25th anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall. The Queen has been Patron of Cruse Bereavement Care since 1984.
The Richmond branch of the charity was one of the organisations The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose to be a beneficiary of any donations for their wedding back in 2011.
