COMMUNITY ADVICE & SUPPORT FOR LOCAL TRAGEDY

 The Soham Community Project Group

The tragic deaths of Jessica Chapman & Holly Wells have greatly affected our community here in Soham. Sometimes tragic events such as this can have a particularly strong effect on people. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by memories or reports over the next few months and would like to talk to someone there is help available for the local community.

You may contact and talk privately with members of the Soham Community Project Group who include the local ministers:- The Reverend Tim Alban Jones MBE, The Reverend Malcolm Hope and The Reverend Richard Underwood, Retired Doctors Dorothy Frost and Stephen Taylor, Ely Diocesan Social Workers Margaret Banks and Hilary Mackim and Cambridgeshire County Council Community Helpline.

 Helpline

 It's Good To Talk

 Talk with friends

During the coming months we may experience painful emotions which may cause us to question some of our previously held beliefs and damage our sense of family security These are normal reactions. Talk to your spouse, your neighbours, your friends and the helping agencies. Our sense of community can be further strengthened when we share the impact of a tragedy such as this with each other. As members of the Soham community we can support each other in expressing our feelings as we reflect on our own lives and the lives of the ones we love:

 Take care about talking to some

You may be approached by national or international journalists during this time, looking for reaction and opinions. If you feel uncomfortable when approached, professional advice recommends that you be polite but decline to comment. It may be that information will be used in such a way as could cause you or the community further distress.

 Sharing Difficult News with Children

 What do I say to my child?

The last year has been a very difficult time for both the parents and children within the Soham community. Many children have struggled to understand what has happened, and quite naturally have turned to their parents or carers for explanations. Cambridgeshire County Council - Educational Psychology Service have provided some guidance in terms of how to respond to any distressing news or questions that your child may struggle with over the coming months. Click on the link below for more detailed information:-

Parental Advice & Support for Local Tragedy