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Sue Ryder - our charity partner

We’ve partnered with Sue Ryder, the national healthcare charity, to donate £1 from every sale of the Reverie bouquet launching for this year's Grief Awareness Week (2nd - 8th December). It’s our way of giving back by making sure those who need it have access to the charity’s expert palliative, neurological and bereavement services.

Sending flowers is one of the first things we think about doing when we know that someone has died, but so many of us struggle with finding the right words to say to put on the card. We have worked with the experts at Sue Ryder to produce some suggested sympathy card wording examples that you may find helpful.

National Grief Awareness Week aims to raise awareness of all aspects of grief and loss on a national scale. This year’s theme is ‘to open conversations and normalise grief’.

Through sharing stories of grief and making people aware of all the support available for those who are bereaved, Grief Awareness Week aims to help everyone better understand the experiences of others, and how they can also support those around them who need it while grieving.

Sue Ryder provides a range of online bereavement support, including free video counselling delivered by expert bereavement counsellors, an online community forum offering 24-hour peer-to-peer support, a new text-based service, Grief Coach, and self-help platform Grief Guide, designed to help people cope with grief through expert information, specialised advice and self-help tools. Sue Ryder also offers a wide range of advice and resources for people who are grieving or supporting someone through bereavement:

Supporting someone at Christmas
Support for yourself at Christmas
Grief Kind
Sue Ryder Online Bereavement Support services
Christmas appeal - The Empty Chair

What to write in a sympathy card

Simple messages

  • We’re thinking of you at this difficult time and sending you a big hug and lots of love.

  • I don’t really know what to say, but I want you to know that I am thinking about you at this difficult time.

  • I am so sorry for your loss you are experiencing with this bereavement. I’ll touch base with you in a couple of weeks and when you’re ready let’s meet up.

More personal messages

  • We are so sorry to hear about [your relative description/name]. They were such an incredible person and we will never forget [insert a memory or anecdote].

  • I’m really sorry to hear about [your relative description/name]. Please know that we’re all thinking of you and if there’s anything you need. [how you can help e.g. the school run, a meal being dropped round, walking the dog or popping out for a coffee], we are only a text or a phone call away.

  • I am so sorry for your loss. [He/She/They] filled a room with laughter and they will be so missed.

  • We are so sorry for your loss. We will touch base with you in a couple of weeks and when you’re ready, let’s meet up and go to [their favourite place].

If you need more advice about what to write in a bereavement card, Sue Ryder has this helpful blog from one of their bereavement experts.