A Muslim woman who went through intense grief during the pandemic has set up a Community Bereavement Support Group to help other women who are facing the same challenge.

Latifa Ismail, chair of the Community Bereavement Support Group, dealt with two deaths within a short space of time, the first being that of her brother-in-law who passed away in June 2020 from Covid. He was the head of the family and left behind a grieving widow.

Due to Covid guidelines, a limited number of people were allowed to attend the funeral and the mourning ritual wasn’t carried out.

Latifa, who was already struggling to cope with the loss of her brother-in-law, lost her mother in February 2021, to a non-covid illness.

She said: “It was really intense, and I didn’t really have anyone to talk to about this.

“I know my sister-in-law was also struggling. She didn’t have any children and she had to sort out all her husband’s business paperwork.

“I knew that if I was struggling, then other people were also going through the same thing, especially because of Covid.”

The group was initially set up in September 2021 and the first community event was held in March 2022.

“At our first event, we had so many people reaching out wanting information and support and we noticed that a lot of people wanted to learn about the Islamic funeral practise as well as burial.

“We have decided that we want to help women understand this better as during Covid we lost the elders in our community who take charge in these situations.”

The Community Bereavement Support Group offer services from the early stages before a loves one has passed away, while they are on end-of-life care and after their passing.

One service user, a 47-year-old woman, lost both her parents in the space of 10 months.

While her mum was battling cancer, her father - who didn’t have any major health concerns - passed away shortly after her mum’s diagnosis in 2021.

Her mum passed on Christmas day, the same year.

She said: “It was really difficult and my father’s passing was so unexpected.

“The bereavement support group has been a massive help, knowing you’re not the only one going through this and having people to talk to is great.

“The coffee mornings and groups are a good way of bringing people together.”

The group will be hosting a Chai Chat at Manningham Mills Community Centre, Bradford, on June 26.

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