Local Rugby League and Leeds Rhino legend, Jamie Peacock, is throwing his weight behind a charity initiative supporting people who are grieving in the City.
As part of a drive to give bereaved people the chance to talk about their grief, the Leeds Rhinos Foundation is teaming up with national palliative and bereavement charity, Sue Ryder, to launch a new weekly Grief Kind Space at AMT Headingley Stadium from Tuesday 23 April 2024, between 2.30pm and 4.30pm.
Since 2019, Jamie has been an Ambassador for Sue Ryder’s Leeds-based hospice, Wheatfields, where his father received care. Jamie’s raised thousands of pounds for the charity.
Jamie: “Sue Ryder will always have a special place in my family’s heart because of the expert and compassionate care they were able to give my Dad, and the time with Dad that they gave to me and my family before he passed away.”
And it felt a forward progression for the sports hero to raise awareness of Sue Ryder’s newest Grief Kind Space, encouraging Leeds locals and Rhinos Rugby fans to access the free available support.
Jamie: “My grief at that time was pretty challenging. Time does heal – the intensity of the emotions gets less, and you learn to move on and cope with things in a better way. But the sadness will always be with you.
For me, it’s about remembering the good times, remembering what that person brought to you and understanding that while you’re sad at the time, over time that will become less and you’ll become more and more focused on the positive memories.”
Anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to pop into the Leeds Rhinos Foundation Community Hub at the AMT Headingley Stadium on St Michael’s Lane every Tuesday from 23 April between 2.30pm and 4.30pm.
People can either attend for the full two hours or drop in for ten minutes or less to come together with others in a safe and informal place. The sessions are supported by trained Sue Ryder volunteers, helping them share their experience – and feel heard and less alone.
Tracy Brierley is Sue Ryder’s Grief Kind Space Coordinator for Yorkshire. Tracy: “Quite often, people feel like they are a burden speaking about their grief to friends or family, but our Grief Kind Space volunteers help remove that feeling, so people can talk, listen to others who might be experiencing the same as them, and gain support.”
The Sue Ryder Grief Kind Space is run in partnership with the Leeds Rhinos Foundation., It is opening following the success of the charity’s other Grief Kind Space already established in the City at Village Hotel, North Leeds in Headingley (Mondays between 10am and 12pm).
Tracy: “We have seen such an incredible impact from our Grief Kind Spaces at Village Hotel, North Leeds. It is amazing to be part of something where we are seeing people make connections and open up about their experiences of grief. We’re thrilled that thanks to the amazing support from our friends at Leeds Rhinos Foundation and our brilliant Sue Ryder volunteers, we can provide more of this vital support to many more people in Leeds.”
For details of further Sue Ryder Grief Kind Spaces opening in 2024 visit www.sueryder.org/spaces
To find out more about becoming a Grief Kind Space volunteer visit sueryder.org/GKVolunteer or email [email protected]
Sue Ryder Grief Kind Spaces is not a counselling service. Anyone seeking more formal support can use Sue Ryder’s existing Online Bereavement Counselling Service | Sue Ryder.
Main image: Jamie Peacock (2nd from right) at The Grief Kind Space Leeds Rhinos Launch.
