Compass Support, the charitable arm of The Pioneer Group, has been granted funding through BVSC on behalf of Birmingham City Council as part of its Compassionate Communities project to work with local individuals and groups to help break down the walls surrounding death, so people can talk more openly and constructively about dying by creating Community Connectors.

The Community Connectors help support residents who may otherwise feel isolated including people at the end-of-life stage, their carers and also those who may have recently lost a loved one.

The Compassionate Communities team have created an engaged, accessible route to go out into the local community to find these Community Connectors. So far, the team have delivered 8 training workshops, organised 13 awareness sessions and trained over 50 Community Connectors.

Isobel Hayward, Health and Wellbeing Project Organiser from Compass Support, said “The Compassionate Communities scheme was bought to us through Birmingham City Council, as facilitators of compassion, to bring it to anyone in the community that engages with people.

We have loved running workshops on how to approach death and end of life, and going forward people will know who to call for help with bereavement, end of life, and financial support.

Our awareness sessions on end of life are completely free and open to community groups and individuals.”The people of Birmingham have been recognised for their compassion in the way communities have supported each other during some of the most difficult times, crowning Birmingham the UK’s first Compassionate City.

If you would like more information on Compassionate Communities or think that you could be a Community Connector, please email us at: contactus@compass-support.org.uk or telephone 0121 748 8111