Covid bereavement group founder is 'inspirational young man'

Liam Meyer with his father David, who died with Covid-19

On the evening of his father's funeral Liam Meyer launched a group to help other families whose lives had been ravaged by Covid-19.

His father, David, died with Covid-19 aged 62 on 29 March 2020 leaving Mr Meyer, his mother and four older sisters.

As he came to terms with the difficulty of dealing with grief in isolation in the middle of a pandemic, he resolved to do something to help other people.

His response to personal tragedy was to set up the support group Alone Together which has now grown to about 700 members around the UK and internationally.

The group is seen as a "lifeline" to people dealing with the death of loved ones and Liam has been hailed as "absolutely inspirational" by its members.

David Meyer with his son Liam

Describing the moment when he learned of his father's death in hospital, Mr Meyer said: "As soon as I put the phone down from speaking to my mum my legs just gave way."

Mr Meyer, 36, from Newton Abbot in Devon, said he enjoyed a close relationship with his father, a mechanic who taught his only son about cars and took him fishing.

"I don't believe in putting people on a pedestal," he said. "But I always looked up to him and now I feel a bit lost."

Mr Meyer felt his father was "not honoured in the way he should have been" at a socially-distanced funeral on 6 April with only eight other family members.

David Meyer was a mechanic who loved cars and motorbikes

Thinking about other bereaved people who might not have the same family support network Mr Meyer enjoyed was what drove him to launch the support group on Facebook.

"I wanted people not to feel alone, not to feel isolated and to know that other people cared," he said.

The group has grown in strength and number over the past 10 months - every new member a reminder of the rising number of deaths.

'Sticking together'

Mr Meyer said: "People join when they are struggling and they plough through that and then offer advice to new people.

"They then take great strength in being able to help others."

After appearing on Gareth Malone's BBC 2 programme Singing For Britain, Mr Meyer set up the Alone Together choir in June and the group recorded the song Thank You in memory of their loved ones.

"Friendships are being made between people who would not normally speak or meet," he said.

"We're all sticking together."

Alan St. John-Cooke and his daughter Julia Abbitt

Julia Abbitt, from Par in Cornwall, lost her father, Alan St. John-Cooke to Covid-19 in the early hours of Easter Sunday, 12 April 2020, at the Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent.

He had celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary with his wife Joan just more than two weeks earlier on 26 March.

Mrs Abbitt said her father, who died aged 88, was a "soft-spoken, old school gentleman" who had served in the RAF during his National Service before a career in the oil industry.

Having driven from Cornwall to visit her father in hospital in Kent she was sleeping in her car on her parent's driveway when she took the call from the hospital to say her father had died.

She said: "My dad was my hero and was always there for me."

Alan St.John-Cooke had celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary with his wife Joan two weeks before he died

Mrs Abbitt saw a story on BBC Spotlight about Liam Meyer setting up the Alone Together group and got in touch.

She said: "There is empathy and compassion and we all understand what each other is going through."

Mrs Abbitt also joined the Alone Together choir and said singing with others has been "healing".

She said: "I'd tell the world about my dad if I could. I don't want him to be forgotten."

Daniel Wickramaratne was 17 when he died with Covid-19

Ouida Wickramaratne's son Daniel died with Covid-19 aged 17 on 10 April 2020.

"I was holding his hand and telling him I loved him and said goodbye," she said.

Mrs Wickramaratne, from New Malden, in London, said her son "lived 17 years of an amazing life".

Daniel had cerebral palsy and could not speak but communicated "with his eyes and laughter and his smile".

His mother said: "I was his voice in life and now I want to be his voice after his death."

Ouida Wickramaratne said "The key to unlocking grief is talking about it"

Mrs Wickramaratne said she was "so vulnerable" after Daniel's death but the Alone Together group "was a lifeline".

"The key to unlocking grief is talking about it," she said.

Being a part of the Alone Together choir has also made Mrs Wickramaratne realise that "we're not alone - we're together in this".

She said: "Just talking about how I feel with people who have gone through the same experience has been a massive help."

Gilbert Drummond was a "larger than life character" according to his daughter Fiona

Fiona Drummond's father, Gilbert, died aged 85 in Glasgow on 5 April 2020 with Covid-19.

"I miss him terribly every day," she said.

"He was the head of the family and if ever I was in trouble he was always the person I would go to."

Mrs Drummond, from Glasgow, said her father, an engineer, was a "larger than life character" who was "resilient and strong" but would also make people laugh.

Fiona Drummond said Alone Together had been a "lifeline" for her after the death of her father

She said his death was like "being hit by a train".

"I felt the world had stopped turning," she said.

Mrs Drummond said she did not know how she would have coped without Alone Together.

She said: "I felt heartbroken but the group has given me strength.

"Liam is absolutely inspirational. He's a wonderful young man."