Local children's bereavement charity sees 55% increase in families needing help

By Jessica Durston - 28 January 2022

Charity
  • (L-R) Bella and Rosaline with their bereavement volunteer, following the loss of their Dads.

    (L-R) Bella and Rosaline with their bereavement volunteer, following the loss of their Dads.

Children's bereavement charity Wiltshire Treehouse says it saw 55% more families ask for its help in 2021.

The charity, that helps children in Swindon and Wiltshire, supported over 300 children last year through their phone, online and in-person services. 

“Matt will never forget how much Treehouse helped him, and neither will his Dad and I.” Says Grace, whose son attended a programme for grieving teenagers after his sister died in a road traffic collision. “He enjoyed meeting other people his own age and knowing he wasn’t the only person who had lost someone special.” 

Matt, 13 said: “I didn’t think that talking would help, but it did. Things will never be the same, but I feel like I’ve got my old personality back.”

Kath Brownlee, Service Director, says she believes the pandemic has had a huge effect on bereaved children, and not only because of covid related deaths.

She said: “Many of the families we meet have been unable to process their grieve in the way they would have done pre-pandemic. This is because they have been dealing with the isolation, anxiety and disruption of living with covid-19 at the same time as trying to come to terms with life without a loved one. For some children it is too much to cope with.” 

As part of Time To Talk Day on 3 February, which encourages conversation about mental health, the charity is encouraging bereaved families to get in touch.

Grace added: “It was really important to us that we had someone local that we could talk to, someone we knew we could meet in person if we wanted to.” 

Parents concerned about their child’s wellbeing following a bereavement can get in touch with Wiltshire Treehouse through their website at www.wiltshiretreehouse.org.uk.

The charity says it would also like to hear from companies who could support them through corporate volunteering or fundraising.

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