Winston's Wish

Did you know...

More than 100 children are bereaved of a parent every day in the UK. Sadly, we know that approximately 1 in 29 young people have experienced the death of a parent or sibling equating to 1 in every classroom across the country. Without the right support, grieving children can experience profound difficulties that can impact their childhood and continue into adult life. Studies show that 41% of young offenders experienced bereavement as a child however we believe that we can give hope to grieving children to ensure that this is no longer the case and that bereaved young people can go on to live out a full and flourishing future.

What makes Winston's Wish different

• Winston’s Wish was the UK’s first childhood bereavement charity, founded by Julie Stokes OBE in 1992.

• They offer the widest range of practical support and guidance to bereaved children, their families and professionals via therapeutic help in individual and group settings, a Supportline, online support, publications and training.

• They've built a wealth of knowledge, experience and understanding of the impact of bereavement at a young age and has developed services to best support a grieving child’s needs.

• They're the only specialist provider of support for children bereaved through murder or manslaughter, suicide or military families who have experienced a death.

• They depend almost entirely on voluntary donations for its income, needing over £2.5 million each year to continue its support for bereaved children.

Other ways to support

For further information on the charity’s upcoming campaigns, events and volunteering opportunities you can visit their website