Venue: The Crowne Plaza Belfast, 117 Milltown Rd, Belfast Bt8 7xp, UK
Times of meetings: 7.20 PM – 9.00PM
If you are a parent attending one of our meetings for the first time, please arrive at 7.15
Dates of Meetings:
2nd Monday of each month
Calendar of specific dates each month for the year
| Month | 2nd Monday |
|---|---|
| January | January 13, 2025 |
| February | February 10, 2025 |
| March | March 10, 2025 |
| April | April 14, 2025 |
| May | May 12, 2025 |
| June | June 9, 2025 |
| July | PAUSE FOR SUMMER |
| August | PAUSE FOR SUMMER |
| September | September 8, 2025 |
| October | October 13, 2025 |
| November | November 10, 2025 |
| December | December 8, 2025 |
What to Expect at an Anam Cara Face-to-Face Support Meeting
At Anam Cara, our peer-to-peer support groups are at the core of what we do. At these meetings, you can meet other bereaved parents. At these meetings, you have the opportunity to share, ask questions, connect, or just listen. Groups are led by a bereavement or mental health professional and a volunteer parent—someone who knows the experience of losing a child. The groups meet for around an hour and a half, though if it is your first time coming to a meeting, we recommend arriving fifteen to twenty minutes early, so you can meet the facilitators, and they can learn about you and your child. The evening will centre around an open discussion where parents can share experiences or simply listen in a compassionate and non-judgmental environment. Tea and light refreshments are provided.
Most of our groups gather in quiet and confidential meeting rooms at hotels across the island. It is the policy of Anam Cara to keep confidential all personal information about parents, siblings, and families in our service. We provide a safe space for all bereaved parents, regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, age, disability, race, religion, or membership in the Traveller community, to share our loss and the complex emotions that surround grief.