THE LOSS PROJECT

Making a difference in your community.

The Loss Project are a creative bunch who work across the UK and beyond connecting people in local communities through the universal experiences of grief and loss.

We know that losses come in various forms; including the loss of health, wellbeing, connection, confidence, jobs, relationships and of course, of loved ones. We're on a mission to challenge the status quo and to provide life affirming products and services that gives people the tools and confidence to support themselves and their communities.

Creativity, the arts and movement are really important to our work. From our experience they can be great tools to helping us unlock how we feel, find meaning and provide some respite (and fun) from our grief and loss.

We're creatives, facilitators, connectors, and collaborators. We believe that a collective approach to these issues can help to transform and even celebrate our experiences so that we feel less alone. Grief and loss can offer us opportunities to learn about ourselves deeply.

The Loss Project is a social enterprise or purpose driven business. We are passionate about business that does good in the world. It also means that we reinvest our profits to enable us to offer products and services that are free to access for people who would not normally be able to afford them. So far we have offered creative writing workshops, free downloads and monthly support groups which are open to anyone.

Join us in changing how we acknowledge and accept loss as a part of life in ways that enriches, nourishes and transforms us.

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Home: Welcome

WHY THE LOSS PROJECT?

Founder Carly's story

Loss touches all of us at some point in our lives and it has certainly impacted on me at different points too. My early experiences of grief and loss were after a trauma I experienced at 15 and the subsequent years that I felt lost and really struggled with my mental health. We are much more aware these days of mental health, trauma and its impact and it took me a long time to find myself again. I started The Loss Project whilst doing an MA in Social Entrepreneurship. I was reflecting on my personal and professional experiences and I realised that there was a golden thread of helping others work through the losses that come their way in life. I have spent so many years being unkind to myself, my body, and engaging in unhealthy behaviours because I didn’t know how to get myself out of it. I don’t want anybody to feel that lost. We all have the opportunity to live our own individual pathway with love, joy, beauty and hope; despite the challenges we may face.

I’ve also spent many years working in health and social care leading a variety of volunteering and community projects to scale, including a number of years in the hospice sector where I witnessed first hand the power that comes from better acknowledging and processing death, grief and loss. I believe that whilst we must tend to the painful times, we also need to appreciate and discover joy and hope too. This was true after my friend Ellie died in 2019 and I decided to take the plunge to focus on The Loss Project and go freelance. If the time wasn’t now, when would it be?!

Over the years I have found solace in creative pursuits, trying to reconnect with my body (I’ve done it all and boxing has been the only consistent thing that has brought me into a healthy relationship with my body and mind!) and reconnecting with what’s important. Coaching, inner work, journalling and meditation have all been tools that have helped me along the way with a sprinkle of playfulness and creativity. I bring this curiosity of layering different things to help us to unlock when we’re stuck and to be able to enjoy and live life to the full. The Loss Project is a culmination of all of these things and more as we hope to explore, process and connect people around grief and loss in all its forms together. I’d love for you to join us.

Go gently,

Carly,

Founder & CEO The Loss Project

Home: Who We Are

OUR PHILOSOPHY

What's important to us

The Loss Project has developed its own philosophy in tending to grief and loss, inspired by our own work and life experiences as well as that of others. We like to combine creativity, nature, movement, and inner reflection to build a range of opportunities for individuals and organisations to explore, process and acknowledge grief and loss. We see lots of our peers also doing great work in this space who we champion and cheer for too. However, we have noticed that there isn't enough available that holds space for the painful bits as well as seeking joy, hope, beauty and love. These all coexist with each other and we hope to make an invitation that honours all of our own unique experiences and perspectives as well as being life affirming, and nourishing.

We also love the work of Martín Prechtel and in particular his book ‘The Smell of Rain on Dust’ he says,

"In every case where grief and praise are still honored, there is one aspect that remains the same with all people: grief, even for an individual’s loss, is a thing for which a lot of people are necessary."

Creativity, connection and exploring the complexities of grief and praise are what we lean into in our work. We’d encourage you to read his brilliant book and let us know what you think. We are learning from all corners of our work which helps us to look at grief and loss through different lenses.

Home: About Us

TESTIMONIALS

Spoon Room - Cat Duncan Rees

Cat Duncan-Rees, who lost her father in early March, has found solace in both the general and the loss-themed Spoon Rooms. “It was helpful to join a group of people knowing that I didn’t have to pretend. I could just be...There is no pressure to talk about anything in particular. There was one loss-themed session where I don’t think I even talked about my Dad.”

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