Winston Wishes is a charity that was brought to my attention whilst researching ‘the impact on children losing a parent’. This is something very close to my heart, as when my husband died I saw the emotional effect it had on my eldest child. Even though he was just shy of 6 years old, he was aware of so much more than I appreciated. Children tend to hide their feelings of sadness and loss, maybe this is because facing an alien emotion is too challenging for a child. I was so determined to keep talking to my children about their father and what had happened, even when I was in moments of deep sadness myself. I knew that teaching them to speak about it would help them deal with the loss.
Not long after his death, I was given a little piece of advice on how to help keep the memories alive. I bought an album for each of my children, we looked through old photographs and they chose their favourite ones. We printed them and placed each one in their own special album. The process was not a sad one but a heart-warming one. To this day they both have their little albums safely guarded in the bedrooms
If you have experienced something similar and still find it all too overwhelming, then Winston Wishes may help in some way. They provide specialist bereavement support services for children and their families, helping them come to terms with their grief. The helpline team offers nationwide support to bereaved children by phone, email and online chat. Winston’s Wishes also offers online resources and publications. They rely on voluntary donations to support children and their families following the death of a parent or sibling. Lizzie’s Life are now donating to this charity. With every family we help to secure some form of protection insurance, we donate to Winston Wishes.
‘’Last year, Winston’s Wish supported an estimated 21,737 children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling. Our latest impact report shares some of the vital work we do and how it helps grieving families.’’
Source winstonwish.org