A support group set up to help families who have lost loved ones to road traffic collisions in Fermanagh and Omagh is to hold its first meeting in the Killyhevlin Hotel on Saturday.
The Life After group was first started by Christopher Sherrard four years ago after he lost his father and has been supporting families across Northern Ireland during that time.
However, this weekend sees the group’s first formal get together for those who have lost loved ones in this area.
This first gathering has been organised with the help of the PSNI and local PCSP.
Christopher said it was hugely important for families across Co Fermanagh and Co Tyrone to have support.
“We cover the whole of the North, but we’ve been invited in by the PCSP and the police to come into the Fermanagh and Omagh area to start delivering those support packages to families who need them,” Christopher said.
“That includes counselling, holistic therapies and home visits, as well as a support meeting once a month in the area to give families that space to come together and to talk.
“Saturday is the introduction of Life After and so we can inform the families what we do and what we can bring to the area for them.
“We’re expecting a good turnout, we have more than 20 families that we already support in that area anyway, and this is just a gradual advancement of that.”
Life After recently gained its status as a registered charity in Northern Ireland, and Christopher added the difference it can make in families’ lives is stark.
“It does make a big difference, a lot of our families have suffered from PTSD and emotional trauma from losing their family member and with Life After we give them a space to talk and talk to others in the same situation.
“Mums would maybe speak to other mums and then they would form their own wee network, where they can just lift the phone to someone they know. It’s just about getting those connections built up.
“It also takes that loneliness away so that they don’t feel like they are on their own any more.”
