Side By Side (Bereavement and Befriending Support)

Lancashire BME Network are proud to offer a service called ‘Talk Me Happy’.

‘Talk Me Happy’ is Lancashire BME Network’s umbrella term for our talking services. Sitting proudly under this is ‘Side by Side’, which is our Bereavement & Befriending service, and ‘Step By Step’ which is our Counselling service.

‘Side by Side’ is a culturally sensitive Bereavement & Befriending service that offers bilingual talking services over the phone. There are two strands of this service. The first being the bereavement aspect. Individuals that are suffering from bereavement can access this service and speak to a friendly CPD trained volunteer and discuss any issues they are experiencing in relation to bereavement. The second strand is the befriending aspect. This is for individuals that are suffering from low level mental health issues such as anxiety and isolation. Individuals accessing this service will be offered weekly appointments culminating up to four sessions all together. After the sessions have been completed we can then refer/signpost them on to our counselling service (‘Step By Step’) or towards our extensive network of specialist services that will be able to help them continue on their journey.

We offer ‘Side By Side’ in the following languages:

  • English
  • Urdu
  • Gujarati
  • Hindi
  • Bengali

If you would like to access our service, please email referrals@lancashirebmenetwork.org.uk or call 01254 392974.

If you would like to refer someone into the service, please send a completed referral form to referrals@lancashirebmenetwork.org.uk 

Referral Form