Our Stories:
Meet Owen

“I was in hospital due to COVID earlier this year. It was quite serious. I couldn’t breathe, I was on oxygen the whole time I was there. Even when I got out, I couldn’t walk down the road without getting tired. 

A friend from church referred me to Calm and Centred. One of the main reasons I came was so that someone could understand my needs as a black man and my culture, especially concerning death. My father passed away due to COVID less than a month before I was in hospital. I couldn’t attend his funeral; that was hard and trying to make arrangements with the lockdown restrictions was difficult enough. 

I was given support through one-to-one sessions and the Care (bereavement) Café. It provided a sounding board for what I was feeling, getting the emotion out. It’s helped to talk about things, listening to others and understand the process of grief. It was useful to learn about that and how everyone deals with death differently. I’d like to be at a place where if I’m thinking about my dad or my loss, I don’t break down. I have some way to go but I’ll get there.” 

Calm and Centred CIC focus on crisis prevention and self care by providing person centred support. With support from Leeds Community Foundation’s Addressing Mental Health Inequalities in Minority Ethnic Groups programme, they delivered various activities to address issues associated with bereavement such as low moods, anxiety, stress and sleep deprivation.