A space where families living with death can come together, slow down, and be supported.
Too often, families navigating loss are left without somewhere to land — nowhere to sit together, to make sense of what has changed, or to simply be.
Camp Alex offers that space.
The weekend
Over a long weekend, families spend time in supported group sessions with trained therapists, while children take part in age-appropriate activities designed to help them understand and express their grief safely. Alongside the sessions, there is space to just be together — to play, to rest, to enjoy time as a family.
There is good food, prepared on site from fresh, seasonal produce. Families can swim, play tennis, and spend time outdoors. Optional activities — yoga, water therapy — offer further space to rest and reset. The weekend is designed to hold both the reality of grief and the need for lightness.
The weekend is designed to hold both the reality of grief and the need for lightness, connection, and time together.
How it works:
- This weekend is a small (eight-family) three-night bereavement retreat designed to support and nurture a surviving parent with a child or children under the age of 19.
- Trained therapists lead group sessions
- Children have age-appropriate activities to understand and express grief
- The retreat, held in English, provides an incredible opportunity for families to process grief together, while having fun and being nourished by the surrounding beauty, the food and the community.
- Seasonal food prepared on site
- Space to simply be together as a family, without pressure
All images by Francisca Siza
October 2nd to October 5th
sign up form here
The fee for the retreat is 500€/ person (please note this fee is in euros, not dollars). This fee does not include flights or travel expenses (Paço da Glória is 50 minutes north of Porto). Please let us know more about yourself in the questionnaire below, and we will be in touch in early April to confirm whether we can offer you a spot at the retreat or place you on our waiting list.
For additional information, don't hesitate to get in touch with info@pacodagloria.com.
AWC Grief Support
Grief Therapy.
www.awcgrief.com
AWC Grief Support is one of the largest grief therapy practices in Canada, offering therapy, education, and resources to help individuals (adults and children), families, and professionals feel supported, informed, and understood. Our work is grounded in compassion, clinical integrity, and a deep commitment to strengthening grief and death literacy across Canada and beyond.
We are a connected team of therapists located across Ontario. Our skilled clinicians offer therapy in-person (in their local communities) and virtually by phone and video (including to other provinces, where permitted).
In October, Colleen and Andrea will be returning to Paco Da Gloria in northern Portugal to facilitate the grief programming again for Camp Alex Family Bereavement Retreat.
This weekend is a small (eight family) three night bereavement retreat designed to support and nurture a surviving parent with a child or children under the age of 19.
The retreat, held in english, provides an incredible opportunity for families to process grief together, while having fun and being nourished by the surrounding beauty, the food and the community.
Please share with anyone who may benefit.
Rebecca Illing
The
Founder.
The founder Rebecca Illing — death doula, based in London.
After the sudden death of her brother Alex, she founded Camp Alex in his memory, shaped by her experience of his absence and a need to create a space where families living with death can come together and be supported.
Rebecca’s own experience of death shapes the way this work is held. Her brother, mother, and father have all died. That reality informs the care and attention given to both the families who attend and the people who support them. This work is grounded in lived experience.
Paço da Glória
Location.
www.pacodagloria.comPaço da Glória, Jolda Madalena
4970-205 Arcos de Valdevez
Portugal
Built in the 18th century to defy indifference, its history is one of many stories. People have come here to meet, celebrate, seek refuge, assess life and handle grief.
Throughout the years, Paço da Glória has been the property of a Count, an Aesthete, a Bon vivant, a Scholar, and finally, a family, all of whom have cherished and valued it for what it is: a place of gathering, comfort and incredible beauty.
By sharing fresh local produce or engaging neighbours in on-site activities, Paço is a continuous, collaborative effort of sustainability and inclusion.
© 2026 Paço da Glória
Collaborators.
Netty Burnette
Sofia Varanda Events
Cássia Cardoso
Play brincar para crescer
Sacha Mavroleon
Markus sound refuge
Paço da Glória Team