Southampton Crematorium, which is run by Southampton City Council, donated £5,000 to Butterflies Bereavement and £5,000 to Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS) this November. These donations are vitally important in creating stronger, more compassionate communities in our City by helping to support the bereaved. Southampton Crematorium has raised this money from their Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) recycling of metals scheme. The charities were nominated by crematorium staff.

The presentation of the cheques took place during late October and early November 2025 at Southampton Crematorium.

Julie Lamont, Chairman Butterflies Bereavement Support said: “It is a sad fact of life that we will all deal with bereavement in our lives. For many it is a horrible time for a few months until we come to terms with what has happened. For many others it is not as simple as that. For them it is a major challenge, frequently affecting them physically and mentally with issues that go on for months and years. Butterflies Bereavement Support provides counselling and peer support groups to help those people. Our trained and qualified counsellors provide a safe environment to unload the fears, regrets, anger and many other emotional states to enable people to come to terms with losing that exceptionally special someone and to be able to look forward to building a different life for themselves.

The generous donation from Southampton Crematorium and Southampton City Council has enabled us to continue our work providing low-cost counselling and support groups as we struggle to raise funds.”

Butterflies Bereavement Support was started by a group of friends in 2016 and became a registered Community Involvement Organisation with the Charity Commission in 2019. The aim of the charity is to provide counselling to everyone struggling with bereavement, whatever their ability to pay or not. This is reflected in them never having turned anyone away from counselling due to their financial position. https://www.bflies.org.uk/

Anyone interested in supporting the charity is invited to contact them at info@bflies.org.uk .

Josie Jakub, CEO Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, said: “We are immensely grateful for this generous £5,000 donation. These funds will make a tangible difference to the lives of people bereaved by suicide, enabling SoBS to strengthen and extend the vital support we provide.

This gift will allow us to train more volunteers, launch new support groups across the country, and keep our national support line running for the next 12 months which is a lifeline for many who feel they have nowhere else to turn and to provide specialist crisis call handling training for our supportline volunteers.

It will also help us to advertise nationwide so that more people know they are not alone and more volunteers can step forward to support them. Every pound of this donation helps us create safe, understanding spaces for people living with the devastating impact of suicide, and we are deeply thankful for this investment in hope and healing.”

SoBS offers UK peer-led support to adults impacted by suicide loss. They help individuals support each other, at the time of their loss and in the months and years that follow. They aim to provide safe, confidential environments where people can share their experiences and feelings, giving and gaining support from each other.

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide – Overcoming the isolation of people bereaved by suicide