{"id":7655,"date":"2021-04-19T12:44:29","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T12:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=7655"},"modified":"2021-04-19T12:44:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T12:44:32","slug":"a-lifetimes-dedication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/04\/19\/a-lifetimes-dedication\/","title":{"rendered":"A Lifetime’s Dedication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reading graduate and Cruse Bereavement Care volunteer, Peter Norman, shares with CONNECTED his admiration for how the charity has supported people during the pandemic \u2013 at a time when their services are needed now more than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Graduating from Reading in 1968 with both a degree in psychology<\/a> and teacher training<\/a>, Peter went on to become an educational psychologist. He spent his career within the education departments of local authorities, specialising in working with young children who had experienced severe trauma. However, his dedication to helping people didn\u2019t stop there. In 1975, Peter was asked to join the steering committee of a local branch of Cruse Bereavement Care<\/a> \u2013 the leading national charity for bereaved people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland \u2013 and 45 years later he remains dedicated to this worthwhile cause.<\/p>\n

Peter tells CONNECTED: \u201cCruse is a voluntary agency with the vision that all bereaved people should have somewhere to turn when someone dies.<\/p>\n

\n

“Unfortunately, the journey of grieving is one we will all go through at some stage of our lives and Cruse\u2019s mission is to offer support, advice and information to help people through this journey.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMy role in the charity is to supervise bereavement volunteers and counsellors, train volunteers, run groups and support clients after more complicated bereavements.<\/p>\n

\u201cVolunteering with Cruse has enhanced my life. Not only is it rewarding to know you are helping people, but it also helped me tremendously in my career as a psychologist.<\/p>\n

\n

“If I hadn\u2019t come to Reading, I probably wouldn\u2019t have discovered my passion for psychology and therefore wouldn\u2019t have gone into this line of work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Increased need<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Unfortunately, 2020 saw an increased need for bereavement support, but \u2013 as Peter explains \u2013 this wasn\u2019t simply a result of COVID-19 deaths.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cAs well as seeing an increase in the number of people coming to us for support, we\u2019ve also seen a change in the types of bereavements people are experiencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs well as the direct impact of COVID-19, it\u2019s important to remember that people are also still dying from other causes and the pandemic is complicating such deaths by the inability for relatives and friends to be present.<\/p>\n

\n

“All of these issues make the grieving process even harder than it already is.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cOur role now feels very different, but is no less critical for those who need support. I am filled with admiration when I listen to colleagues recount the range of strategies and time they offer our bereaved clients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adapting during the pandemic<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The pandemic has created challenges for every sector \u2013 including charities \u2013 and it was critical that Cruse remained operational despite the impact of COVID-19 on our lives. Peter explains how they have adapted to continue to provide support.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cCruse volunteers used to meet our clients face-to-face either at home or in surgeries, but since the first UK lockdown began in March 2020, we have transitioned to telephone support and training volunteers via video call.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking to clients on the phone has undoubtedly made our work harder. We\u2019re unable to pick up cues from body posture or facial expression and we can\u2019t provide non-verbal reassurance, so we\u2019ve had to learn new techniques.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBut clients have told us that they still find this support valuable which is the most important thing. I\u2019m proud that we\u2019ve taken on board new ways of doing things to keep us operational.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Helping people through a crisis<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Peter is passionate about his work with Cruse, and is keen to raise awareness of the support they offer so that more people can be helped through the grieving process.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI\u2019m pleased I\u2019ve been able to do my bit through Cruse to help people during the pandemic. People who volunteer at Cruse all have a similar outlook on life to me, and I thoroughly enjoy working with such a dedicated team of people.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt is challenging working with clients who are in the midst of one of the worst moments in their lives \u2013 but it is also rewarding because you are doing something positive, helping people through a bereavement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to keep spreading awareness of the charity so that we can provide support to more people during these difficult times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out more about Cruse Bereavement Care<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading graduate and Cruse Bereavement Care volunteer, Peter Norman, shares with CONNECTED his admiration for how the charity has supported people during the pandemic \u2013 at a time when their services are needed now more than ever. Graduating from Reading in 1968 with both a degree in psychology and teacher training, Peter went on to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":7620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[54,123,85,21,93,34,37,41,94,68,47,87],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Lifetime's Dedication - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Reading graduate, Peter Norman, shares his admiration for how Cruse Bereavement Care has supported people during the pandemic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/04\/19\/a-lifetimes-dedication\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Lifetime's Dedication - 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