The UK’s first children and young people’s bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish, is calling upon the local community to take part in its Firewalk at the Land Rover Sports and Social Club in Solihull on Sunday the 23rd of February to raise funds and awareness of its services.
This special event is open to young people aged 14 or older and includes full training for everyone involved. The Firewalk offers the opportunity for individuals, friend groups or work teams to come together to take part in an igniting experience that will help to alight hope for grieving children and young people.
Devastatingly, estimates suggest that, each day, more than 100 children in the UK are bereaved of a parent and that figure doesn’t equate how many young people are coping with the death of a sibling, grandparent, friend, or another significant individual in their lives or the families who have been told of a terminal diagnosis.
Each year Winston’s Wish supports and impacts the lives of more than 80,000 grieving children and young people when their lives are turned upside down by bereavement.
As the UK’s first children and young people’s bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish has been supporting grieving people up to the age of 25 and their families in the local area and further across the UK for more than thirty years. The charity offers on-demand bereavement support which young people can access directly as well as their parents, carers, teachers or other professionals. The charity also provides special support and content designed for 13–25-year-olds on the charity’s Talk Grief website which includes real life stories and articles about what it’s like to grow up with grief.
Winston’s Wish also provides a wealth of resources on the website and launched Talk Grief, the Youth-Led Grief Network earlier this year which is especially designed for 13–25-year-olds to discuss topics pertaining to what it’s like to navigate growing up with grief. The Grief in Common podcast series provides a platform for young, bereaved voices to discuss the topics important to them from what it’s like to cope with grief at university to how to tell friends you’re bereaved.
The Firewalk is designed not only to raise funds to help support the charity’s vision that no child is left to grieve alone but also to provide an empowering experience for participants, many of whom themselves have been bereaved.
Participants will receive full training from professionals before the evening Firewalk which will take place at the Land Rover Sports and Social Club in Solihull. Registration costs a nominal £20 with a minimum sponsorship target of £150.
To find out more, including how to sign up, then please do visit the dedicated Firewalk webpage on the Winston’s Wish website.
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.