 Hi, I'm Nicky Hitchcock. I'm the Founder and Service Manager of the Azure Centre here in Southwick. Over the last few months we've been working with West Sussex County Council to put together this short film to help people in our local community who've been bereaved or supporting somebody who's been bereaved. We hope this short film will make it easier for you to talk about grief and loss. One of the best-known theories of grief is Elizabeth Kubleros. She talks about the five stages of grief. The first stage is denial and isolation. In that stage of grief the person is trying to comprehend what's happened, trying to work out what's gone, reorganise their life. The second stage is anger. It's okay to be angry. We often feel angry when we're scared or things feel out of control. The next stage is bargaining. It's when people can get lost in the maze of what is and if only so they can spend some time or a lot of time dwelling on what if I'd said that, what if we hadn't done that, if only. The fourth stage is depression. The symptoms of depression vary from person to person but they usually involve intense feelings of sadness and hopelessness and it can be really difficult to be around people when we're feeling like that, lack of energy, lack of motivation. Equally it can be really difficult to support people in those times to just a reminder to stay connected, text messages, voice messages, letters and phone calls can really help you stay in touch with that person. The fifth stage of grief is acceptance and by acceptance we don't mean that they've suddenly come to terms with their loss, they've got over it, everything's okay. It's very much a point of them accepting where they are in terms of their life. They're accepting the loss and they're working through the bereavement. So later on they added a sixth stage and that stage is making meaning. Making meaning could be different for different people. It could be setting up a trust fund in the name of that person who's died. It could be looking to get policy change or maybe some legal action. So we'd recommend caution around this stage because not everybody will reach it. It might take years. Some people may never get there but that's okay. So although we talk about the stages of grief, it's not a linear process and it's really useful to remember that people will pass through these stages again and again. They might pass through all these stages of grief in one day, maybe even in one hour. There's no right way to grieve. Grief will be different for everybody and how we express and experience it will be different. It's unique. It's as unique as our fingerprint and no two journeys will be the same. It can be a lonely journey and that's why those moments of connection when we meet our friends or neighbours in the local community can be so important. They can stand out as real moments of support and comfort. At the Azure Centre when working with people who've been bereaved, they've told us that they'd rather people say something than say nothing at all. But it can feel daunting. We don't know what to say. We don't want to be the one to upset them. After all, they've been through enough. So what can we say? I'm sorry for your loss. I'm really sorry I've heard your news. I don't know how you're feeling. Just want you to know that I'm there for you. I'm always at the end of the telephone. Just give me a call. So we could offer practical help. If they've got children or they've got pets, is that a way that you could help out? Could you drop round some food? A meal? It can mean a lot to know that other people in the community are there for you. Any ways that you can just let people know that you're there, that you're thinking about them. You could recommend local services. There's the Azure Centre. We've got a fantastic team of councillors here. Many of them have done additional training in bereavement. There's cruise bereavement services. They do individual support. They also do some group work. I recommend you check out the West Sussex Library Services website. They've got fantastic resources, books, films, something for all ages, for people who've been bereaved, for people who are supporting those who've been bereaved. When in doubt, just listen. It's often far more useful than thinking you have to have the right thing to say. Just giving that person a chance to talk, to share the thoughts and feelings they've got in the inside, to share them with you, they can feel less isolated and less lonely. They're just a reminder to be kind to yourself. It can be really hard work and training, supporting others. So thanks for taking time to do that. If you've got any questions or you want to get in touch, you can do so via the Azure website. Thanks for watching this film.