Help us be there, whatever the weather - Donate to our Summer Appeal

Grief doesn’t follow a forecast. For children, young people, and parents bereaved of a child, grief can resurface again and again as quickly as a summer thunderstorm.

That’s why we need your help, to be there for them, whatever the weather. By donating to Child Bereavement UK, you’ll be helping us provide all-weather, reliable, ongoing support, making bereavement specialists available through every unexpected change of grief.

Your donation means we can be there rain or shine, whenever families need us most. 

By donating the cost of a classic summer’s day activity, you can help us be there for grieving children, young people, and parents bereaved of a child whatever the weather this summer.

Swap ice creams at the beach

£10 could cover the cost for a grieving child to speak to our bereavement specialists about their grief.

Swap a BBQ in your garden

£20 could allow us to support a young person facing the summer holidays without the person they love the most.

Swap a trip to the cinema

£50 could help a parent bereaved of their baby or child get the support that they need.

Swap a day out at a theme park

£100 could help provide essential training sessions for school staff to support them following the death of a pupil, parent or teacher.

Swap a trip away

£300 could help us to keep our vital helpline services open a t a time when children and young people need support more than ever.

You may need to accept cookies and turn off pop up blockers to use the donation form below. Alternatively, you can click here to open it in a new tab. If you need any help, please call 01242 515 157 or email [email protected]

My name is Ben, and in March 2021, I suddenly and unexpectedly lost my wife Jo and unborn second son.

Jo was 33 years old and we were 29 weeks pregnant. One moment, everything was completely normal, and life was happy and bright. In an instant, the sky darkened, and everything changed. My 4-year-old son, George, and I were left feeling completely lost and in utter shock, not knowing what the future held.

At the time, I didn’t know where to turn or what support was available, so having a bereavement midwife guide me towards support that specifically understood bereaved children and young families made a huge difference.

Without being connected to the right support early on, I honestly don’t know how things would have looked.

Child Bereavement UK ensured I was armed as best as I could be to guide George through losing both his mum and baby brother at such a young age.

Their support helped shape many of the ways we now openly communicate about grief as a family. George knows it is ALWAYS more than ok to talk about his mum, ask questions, feel upset unexpectedly, or also still laugh, smile and enjoy life alongside grief.

Ben and George

Read more of Ben and George's story and how Child Bereavement UK helped them both to cope with their grief.

Latest

Navigating the summer holidays: Tips from widowed parents

Our friends at WAY Widowed and Young share advice from their members about how they cope with the summer holidays as widowed parents.
Ben and George: Parenting a grieving child while grieving yourself

Ben talks about how Child Bereavement UK supported him and his four-year-old son George, when his wife and unborn son died suddenly in March 2021.
Explaining a death in service to children and young people

Our Bereavement Support Team provide advice on how to explain a death in service to children and young people.
Five ways to manage grief in the summer holidays

For bereaved families the holidays can be difficult, but here are five ways to help you and your children manage grief in the summer holidays.

Supporting bereaved children and young people

Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they can show it in different ways. Find out how you can help them and more about child grieving.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Guidance on children's understanding of death at different ages and stages of development.
Explaining to a child that someone has died

Guidance on explaining to a child that someone has died.
Explaining death and dying to children

Guidance for teachers and parents on talking to children about death and dying,
Grieving for a child

No parent expects to face the death of their child. See our resource for support and guidance on grieving for a child.
When a grandparent dies

The death of a grandparent is often a child or young person’s first encounter with the death of someone important. Parents have a great deal to manage when their own parent or carer dies.
Contact us

Contact details for our Helpline, departments and services.
Child Bereavement UK training

Child Bereavement UK designs and delivers training for professionals in health and social care, education, the emergency services and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
Adults bereaved as children

How being bereaved as a child can affect your life as an adult and where you can find support.
When your baby dies

When a baby lives only a short time or dies before birth due to miscarriage, SUDIC, stillbirth or a painful decision to end the pregnancy, people may assume that the loss is not important. This is simply not the case.

Grief doesn’t follow a forecast. For children, young people, and parents bereaved of a child, grief can resurface again and again as quickly as a summer thunderstorm.