Grieving daughter from Milton Keynes sets up support group for families of Covid-19 victims

Deborah Lewis originally started the group for fellow mourners in Milton Keynes but it has now grown to hundreds of members nationally.

She was horrified at the lack of support she received when her father died of coronavirus in April.

Six months earlier, her mum has passed away due to cancer, and the support network was "incredible", she said. But during lockdown, shut away from sympathetic relatives, colleagues and friends, and unable to even organise a proper funeral, she felt very alone.

"The one group who are actually receiving very, very little support are the Covid bereaved... It's hard enough to lose someone at anytime but losing someone during the lockdown was and still is horrendous, and the long term mental health effects of grieving during lockdown are yet to manifest themselves."

Deborah is calling for parish councillors, councils and the MPs to come forward and show their constituents that they do care about the bereaved in their area.

She is asking them to actively engage with the group about planning Covid-19 memorial events when lockdown is over, and ensure the bereaved are consulted, included and invited to these events.

"Short of them having a comprehensive list of bereaved in their area, I don't see how they will do this. But this group can be the main contact point in ensuring they reach those people," she said.

"Lastly the group needs assisting with funding to be able to further reach out by being able to host social gatherings, when lockdown permits, to enable bereaved families to come together."

Deborah runs the group through a Facebook page called Covid19 Families UK. So far she has 310 members and the numbers are growing daily. Because of the demand, she has now formed area groups for Wales, Scotland and different counties, including Middlesex, Kent, West Midlands, Essex and Suffolk.

"Through the UK site and the regional sites I hope to connect others who have experienced the same loss in their own areas and to be the main point of contact when councils and others plan social events so that Covid bereaved are consulted, included and invited," she said.

Deborah, who works at Gulliver's Lane in MK, was devastated when her mum died last October but said going to work each day helped her cope with the grieving process.

"I had the most amazingly supportive group of work colleagues, who not only supported me but made me know that there were always on hand..

From the managers, to the rides team retail team ,catering team, entertainments, maintenance, every single one of them, and even members of the public, reached out to support me.. Their love ,understanding and ways of making me smile made each day a little more bearable and I realised the value of friendship and support.

"Then we lost dad in April to Covid. And my whole world just collapsed.. I'd lost both parents in months.

"The lockdown hadn't only taken away my ability to grieve with my family, but it took away my job and my support network.. I can honestly say, I've never missed my workmates as much as I do right now."

Deborah said setting up the group has helped with her grief.

"My parents taught me to help others and so in a way, I did this in their honour and I only hope I'm making them proud."

You can join the group through Facebook here