Newark café born from tragedy now funding free bereavement support
Set up after the loss of her son, Maxine Storer’s community café is tackling loneliness while paying for counselling for those who can’t afford it
A Newark café created in memory of a sons lost to suicide is now helping fund vital bereavement support for people across the community.
Maxine Storer set up SOS Save Our Stevens bereavement group after the death of her son.
“I lost my son 10 years ago to suicide,” she says. “We’re all in the same storm. We’re all in different boats, but we’re all suffering with bereavement.”
To fund the group, Maxine went on to open The CaroMax café, run entirely by volunteers.
Every penny raised goes towards the bereavement group, and that funding is now helping pay for counselling sessions for people who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
But beyond the financial support, Maxine says the café itself is making a difference day-to-day – particularly for those struggling with loneliness.
“We get a lot of people coming in that are lonely. They come in, they’re on their own, don’t know where to go, don’t know where to turn to,” she explains. “So they come in the café, we all sit chatting – and before you know it, they’re talking to the person on the next table.”
She recalls one visitor who arrived alone but left feeling part of something.
“She sat, she had a chat, she said, ‘I feel so much better. I’ve found a little community that I can come to now.’ To me, that’s everything. It’s about reaching that one or two people that are so lonely.”
What started as a way to honour her son’s memory is now helping others navigate grief – and ensuring fewer people have to face it alone.