Waterford City and County Council was successful in the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards with a win in the Health and Wellbeing category for Good Grief, a community-focused, cross-sectoral approach to bereavement support.

The 22nd annual Awards ceremony was held in association with the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage, sponsored by Ørsted, showcasing and celebrating the best of Local Government in Ireland, and the Health and Wellbeing award recognises initiatives by a Local Authority promoting the health and wellbeing of its community.

Good Grief, a collaborative initiative between Waterford City and County Council and Wexford County Council and funded by Creative Ireland, highlights the importance of creative expression as a tool for wellbeing and recovery in the later stages of grief.

Its primary focus was to explore the role of creativity in supporting self-soothing for adults over 18 years old in their second-year post-bereavement. By partnering with academic institutions and health organisations, Good Grief sought to understand how artistic engagement can aid emotional healing and resilience during the complex grieving process.

Receiving the award, Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Seamus Ryan said, “I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of Waterford City and County Council’s Creative Waterford and Community teams.  Good Grief is a worthy winner of the Health and Wellbeing Category as the programme not only sparked a conversation around grief, reducing stigma and embracing compassion, it also focused on the widely overlooked second year of grief.”

Sean McKeown, Chief Executive of Waterford City and County Council also commended the Council’s Culture and Creativity team saying, “This award is a true reflection of our commitment and dedication in making our towns and cities better places to live.

“The Good Grief programme is an exemplar of an innovative, research-led, cross-sectoral project to understand more how creativity, empathy and understanding can enrich mental health and wellbeing.”

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