Winston’s Wish is the UK’s first children and young people’s bereavement charity and helps grieving young people up to the age of 25 find their feet when their worlds are turned upside down by bereavement.
Last year, the charity supported more than 82,000 bereaved children and young people. Winston’s Wish supports young people throughout the UK and offers support pre and post-bereavement, as well as offering advice to parents, carers or professionals including education and healthcare providers.
The charity champions instant bereavement support, bypassing long wait lists for support. Children and young people, as well as adults, can reach out for themselves to speak to a bereavement support worker.
Winston’s Wish encourages open conversations with young people who are bereaved and provides advice to a range of questions parents may have such as ‘Should I tell my child their special person is dying? Should they attend a funeral? How do I help my child to remember their loved one?’
As well as supporting younger children and their parents, Winston’s Wish is also keen to ensure that older children and teenagers have access to support directly for their age group. The website Talk Grief is a dedicated online space for grieving teenagers and young adults (13 to 25), powered by Winston’s Wish.
The site offers the chance for grieving young people to learn from other young people, see real-life stories, find healthy ways to cope and find advice and tips on managing grief from Winston’s Wish’s bereavement experts.
There are also opportunities for children with living experience of bereavement to join as a Youth Ambassador to share their story, help to create content and work with other bereaved young people to share ideas and feedback on projects.
Winston’s Wish is keen to reassure bereaved young people and their families that they are welcome to chat online, email or call for free to speak to a bereavement support worker by calling 08088 020 021, emailing ask@winstonswish.org or using the live chat at winstonswish.org.