Parents in the midlands who have lost children are being invited to attend a support group meeting in Mullingar this week.
Anam Cara is a national organisation established by volunteers in 2008 to try to make sure that every parent has the support they need after the death of a son or daughter.
A meeting will be held in the Mullingar Park on Wednesday evening at half past seven, and it's intended that one will be held on the second Wednesday of every month at the venue.
Sharon Vard who lost her daughter 17 years ago, and who's a co-founder of Anam Cara, says people are welcome to attend regardless of the age of the child, circumstance of the death, or how long ago it might have happened.
She says people can choose to talk or simply just listen to others.
"It’s a very gentle atmosphere. Parents can just sit and talk if they wish. If they don’t wish to talk, there’s no pressure to do so either. Sometimes it's by listening to other parents talk that we realise that we're not going mad, that what we're going through is normal. In particular for anyone who is recently bereaved, it's so hard. The grief is unnatural and losing your child is unnatural. They’re not supposed to die before us".
