Bereavement support selfies

A “PIN badge selfie” campaign has been launched with the aim of reviving a service to help people in Shetland coping with bereavement.

Shetland Bereavement Support Service’s one-to-one work is currently on hold due to a lack of funding. SBSS receives no statutory money and is funded entirely by public donations and grants from national bodies.

A spokeswoman said the “show your support with a pin badge selfie” campaign was an effort to promote the service’s work. Badges, with a recommended donation of £1, can be purchased from Alex Morrisons in Lerwick, Scalloway Meat Company’s branch in the village and the Mossbank shop.

Individuals, teams workplaces, bands and groups are being invited to show their support by uploading “selfie” photos to the SBSS Facebook and Twitter pages.

Shetland MSP Tavish Scott is helping to kickstart the campaign with his selfie displaying the pin badge (see left).

“Many Shetland families and individuals have benefited from this caring and understanding service,” he said.

“People cope in different ways with loss and the Shetland bereavement service is a highly valued part of our islands’ support network. The fundraising initiative deserves great support across Shetland and I hope it will be hugely successful.”

Members of the public can also support the service via text messaging. To donate, text sbss14 followed by the amount you would like to donate – i.e. to donate £10, text sbss14£10 to 70700.

SBSS is also signed up to the ‘Giveacar’ scheme, which offers the chance to scrap or sell your old car for charity. Giveacar arranges collection of your car and the donations raised go towards raising much needed funds for SBSS. To discuss selling or scrapping your old vehicle, contact Giveacar on 0207 7364 242 or email support@giveacar.co.uk.