New child bereavement centre in Glasgow

A new service to support children and young people who have been bereaved has opened in Glasgow.

Charity Richmond's Hope raised £100,000 to set up the project in Ibrox Parish Church.

It includes a playroom for younger children, a room for teenagers and a sensory room used to promote calmness and lower aggressive behaviours.

The charity was established by Church of Scotland minister Liz Henderson, and has operated in Edinburgh for 14 years.

She started it with Jessie Douglas whose own son Andrew was killed in a motorbike accident when he was 28 years old.

Ms Douglas said: "Sixteen years ago we had a dream that bereaved children in our local community should have their own place to work through their grief.

"Two years later, after lots of hard work Richmond's Hope was born.

"We felt then that if we could help just one child then all of the hard work was worth it.

"The project was successful from the start due a lot to the dedicated and enthusiastic staff."

Therapeutic play and specialised grief activities are used to help children understand how the death has had an impact on them.

It also gives children a safe place to capture memories of the person who died, explore their feelings and develop coping strategies for the future.

The Glasgow project hopes to help more than 200 children over the next three years.

It was set up with grants from the Scottish government, the Trusthouse Foundation, the Bellahouston Fund, the Rank Foundation, St. James' Place Foundation, the Baird Trust and the Robertson Trust.