Elgin Group

Our Elgin  SOBS group was set up in May 2018 , I remember it distinctly because it was the front page lead story in our local paper just a week before my son took his life. I remember thinking how terribly sad it was that these two young ladies, who had each lost a parent to suicide many years before had had no help. I thought how wonderful it was that they were now reaching out to help anyone who had experienced this unbearable  loss .

By the time I decided to contact the group I had difficulty finding their contact details, I’m the wrong age for “Facebook ” as a go to resource! In the end I went to our local library to ask them to unearth their back copy of the newspaper luckily, they still had it.

I missed the first couple of meetings, but made the one in July 2018 and went to everyone I could there after until sadly COVID-19 closed our doors.

The group normally meets on the third Tuesday of the month in a large room at the Elgin City Football club, it has ample parking, onsite toilet facilities and use of a kitchen. We meet from 7.30 until 9.30 pm. Our two facilitators are both working mothers, one of whom travels over 60 miles after work to Elgin to do this and 60 miles back of course. This is the only group in this area and members often travel long distances to attend meetings. We think of ourselves as a small group, I hope people find us caring and welcoming. We don’t seem to appeal to bereaved men sadly, I hope that changes with the introduction of the national virtual bereaveMENt group.

Since COVID-19 closed our face-to-face meetings, our group did try zoom meetings but decided to suspend them until a time we can safely meet face to face, which we hope will be very soon.

Mary Lambert ~ Elgin Group Volunteer