New Bereavement toolkits launched at Les Bourgs Hospice

13th February, 2024

The FruitFly Collective was set up to help families talk about cancer, death and grief, and to support children by giving them coping tools and knowledge that they are not alone. There are three different kits all containing age-appropriate set of tools and activities designed to help children or young people to understand what cancer is, the treatments given, and the side-effects they may cause.

There is the Hedgehog kit, The Tiger Kit and the Cancer Cloud kit.

There are also tools to help improve communication within the family, practical tools to help manage changes in the family’s routine, and tools that explore the emotional impact a cancer diagnosis brings.

The Fort Group supports new family support toolkits for Les Bourgs Hospice

A wish to make a bigger impact to Les Bourgs Hospice has led The Fort Group to sponsoring a set of new Fruitfly Collective toolkits and booklets for the bereavement support team. In 2023, the year which they celebrate their 50^th birthday, the Trust company wanted to give something extra back to the Community and supporting the Hospice was an obvious way of supporting a charity which makes a direct difference to islanders.

Jos Ensink, MD of The Fort Group said “The Fort Group have made an extra effort to contribute to the local community as part of our 50^th anniversary celebration. Donating to Les Bourgs Hospice seemed absolutely appropriate given the positive impact the hospice has on the life of islanders. All of us at The Fort Group are delighted to hear that our donation has been spent on the Fruitfly Collective bereavement boxes. Supporting those in our local community facing bereavement is an essential role for a healthy society and knowing that the bereavement boxes purchased with our donation will significantly help local children, we are extremely grateful to Les Bourgs Hospice for the work they do for our Bailiwick islanders.”

Following an inspiring conversation with The Sunflower Project, the bereavement support team had identified these resources as a new and innovative approach to supporting children, families and adults affected by Cancer which is just one of the life limiting illnesses which impacts the Hospice’s patients and their loved ones.

The toolkits are brilliantly put together and will make a big difference to children of all ages at a time where a loved one is diagnosed with cancer or the loss of a loved one.  They will enable us to better support children with their grieving process and help them to identify all of the different emotions that they will experience during a sad time in their life. These packs also provide invaluable information and guidance for adults and parents.”

In addition to sponsoring these toolkits, The Fort Group has also purchased a new fridge freezer for the Hospice kitchen and supported the cost of a music licence for the reception area. This is part of a continued initiative to improve the visitor experience and make it a more welcoming space for people who have never been to the hospice at Andrew Mitchell House.