September does and feels like the start of a new year; summer clothes are packed away, holidays have been taken, long evenings shorten and schoolbags reappear.

For many, it is a new beginning – a new school term, the start of college, a new career to embark upon. But September can be a difficult month for bereaved parents. Many milestones are achieved over the months, many milestones their beloved child will never get to mark.

Anam Cara, the only organisation of its kind in Ireland with services available to all bereaved parents, will resume their face to face meetings following a short break over the summer months.

On Tuesday September 13, they will hold their Kerry meeting in The Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee at 7.15pm. All bereaved parents from the Kerry area are welcome, regardless of the age their child died or circumstances of their death. There is no need to register, just arrive on the evening.

“While family and friends might be good at marking the major milestones – anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas – it’s important to understand that less obvious occasions can also be hugely triggering,”
Service Manager for Anam Cara, Sharon Vard said.

"We launched Anam Cara back in 2008 in recognition of the need for a safe space for those bereaved, somewhere to let the mask drop, where others might understand what friends and family cannot."

For more information on the support services offer by Anam Cara, please call 085 2888 888, email info@anamcara.ie or see www.anamcara.ie