Resources and support available to the bereaved
You may not be aware but there are hundreds of organisations and charities all over the UK that provide support to the bereaved. Here is a list of some of the main organisations that can help you or a loved one whilst you go through a very difficult time of your life, and how you can contact them. It is so important to remember that you are not alone.
Bereavement UK
This organisation was created over 20 years ago to provide much needed support wherever in the world you may be. The members can offer a listening ear, friendly support and advice on those lonely days and nights. The Bereavement UK support forum is a live chat room where people have been through similar losses as you. There are no professionals, just ordinary people who will be using their own experiences to support and guide you through the grief, pain, anger and loneliness you may be feeling. It will really help towards healing you.
There is also a very successful Facebook group used to give and receive heartfelt support from over 3000 members. They also plan lots of ‘mini meet ups’ all over the country where forum members make lifelong friends with people who are experiencing similar emotions.
Link to their website: www.bereavementuk.co.uk
Link to their Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/1566851883557388/
CRUSE Bereavement Care
Cruse is a national charity that has been helping people who are struggling with grief and bereavement for over 60 years. There are approximately 160 staff and 4,000 volunteers making a real difference to the lives of bereaved people. Cruse offer support through a number of ways, including their website, national helpline, live chat, group, zoom, telephone or one-to-one support. They want to encourage people to talk about grief so we can live in a world where grief is understood and supported. They aim to equip, educate and empower society to make sure all bereaved people are treated with compassion and respect.
In 2020, they gave grief support to 3,655 children; 1 million people visited their website and 8,000 people received grief assessments. They provide support to everyone with all backgrounds, including support for prisoners, people affected by dementia and military families.
Link to their website: cruse.org.uk and hopeagain.org.uk (specifically for children and young people)
Telephone: 0808 808 1677
Twitter: @crusecare
Care for the Family
This organisation is a national charity which has sought to promote strong family life and to help those who face family difficulties, since 1988. Their work focusses on the UK and the Isle of Man but increasingly through digital technology, they are reaching a wider audience. Their aim is to be accessible to every family, whatever their circumstances and to create resources and support that are preventative, evidence-based, and easy to apply. They want to help those who are living with loss to discover hope for the future, and the strength to rebuild their lives and the lives of their families.
Telephone: 029 2081 0800
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: careforthefamily.org.uk
Twitter: @Care4theFamily
BEAD (Bereaved through Alcohol and Drugs)
BEAD aims to be a source of information, support and hope for anyone whose loved one has died as a result of drug or alcohol use. Whatever your experience of being bereaved through alcohol or drugs, BEAD seeks to provide useful information to reassure you that you are not alone in what you are going through. Their website provides a section full of other people’s personal experiences in order to support you and reassure you that there are people who have been through similar. They also offer one-to-one and group support.
Telephone: 0808 808 1677
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: beadproject.org.uk
Dying Matters
This is a campaign by Hospice UK to work with people to create an open culture in which we are comfortable talking about death, dying and bereavement. Hospice UK is the national charity working for those experiencing dying, death and bereavement. They work for the benefit of people affected, collaborating with hospice members and other partners who work in end-of-life care. The website encourages people to share their stories and personal experiences to help others break down barriers and feel less alone. There is also a Dying Matters podcast with 16 episodes.
Telephone: 0800 021 44 66
Link to their website: dyingmatters.org
Twitter: @DyingMatters
The Good Grief Trust
The Good Grief Trust is an organisation run by the bereaved for the bereaved. Currently The Good Grief Trust have approximately 800 support services and support organisations, groups and services offering tailored help for any bereavement, anywhere in the UK. Their website contains resources and videos from people who have been through similar experiences, to encourage people to talk about bereavement and understand that they are not alone. They have been running pop-up cafés since 2019 to offer a friendly place out in the community to pop along and find others who may have been through a similar bereavement. You can find out where these pop-up cafés are on their website.
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: thegoodgrieftrust.org
Twitter: @goodgrieftrust
The Grief Journey
The Grief Journey was established in 1992 to assist and support people in a grieving process after a significant loss and to provide meaningful resources and helps. The Grief Journey provides education, community training and resources. It was established by Dr Bill Webster who experienced loss and is now using his experience to help others in their grief journey. The website contains grief care packages and e-books available to download which provide useful information and guidance on how to manage your grief.
Link to their website: griefjourney.com
Twitter: @GriefJourneyUK
Jessie May
Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home is an organisation that provides families with vital emotional support, end of life care and bereavement support for up to five years after losing a child. This allows families to make the most of the precious time they have together and to create treasured family memories. Their specialist nurses provide at home nursing and respite care for children and young people that have a terminal or life-limiting condition throughout the South West. They have been providing free specialist support since 1996; it was created by a family, for families, and is now shaped by families. Over the last 25 years the charity has supported over 300 children and their families across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset, and Swindon & Wiltshire.
Telephone: 0117 958 2174
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: jessiemay.org.uk
Twitter: @jessiemaytrust
The Loss Foundation
The Loss Foundation is the only UK charity dedicated solely to providing bereavement support following the loss of a loved one to cancer, whether that be spouses, family members, friends or colleagues. They also offer specific Covid-19 loss support. They provide a variety of support events to help people at any point during their loss and create the opportunity for them to meet others who have experienced something similar. They also educate and empower others to support those who are grieving via our workshops and training.
Telephone: 0300 200 4112
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: thelossfoundation.org
Twitter: @LossFoundation
Leeds Suicide and Bereavement Service
This service provides compassionate support for people bereaved by suicide. This project is run by Leeds Mind and Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service, and the workers have their own personal experience of suicide bereavement. You can access support as an individual, family or workplace. They provide one-to-one, peer groups, family support and counselling. Whether you were affected by a suicide that was a few days, weeks or decades ago, they will support you whoever you have lost – this may be a parent, child, partner, sibling, other relative, friend or work colleague.
You can use the service if you believe someone you care about has ended their own life, even if this has not been officially recognised or you haven’t had an inquest. The organisation also supports people who feel affected by a suicide but do not identify as bereaved, for example if you witnessed a death.
Telephone: 0113 305 5803
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: leedssbs.org.uk
Twitter: @LeedsSBS
Samaritans
Samaritans is a unique charity dedicated to reducing feelings of isolation and disconnection that can lead to suicide. They give people ways to cope with whatever they are facing, and the skills to be there for others. They offer listening and support to people and communities in times of need, and encourage, promote and celebrate those moments of connection between people that can save lives. Everyday, Samaritans volunteers respond to around 10,000 calls for help. During 2020, more that 20,000 people volunteered their time for Samaritans. Over 1,000 prisoners volunteered as trained Listeners to help provide support to those suffering, day and night.
Telephone: 116 123
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: samaritans.org
Twitter: @samaritans
WAY - Widowed & Young
WAY is a support group for people who were aged 50 or under when their partner died. It is a peer-to-peer support group run by over 4,200 volunteers, all with personal experience of being bereaved at a young age. WAY offer social groups and a members-only website to meet others who have been widowed at a young age. Their website contains a wealth of information which can assist you from the start of the process, for example, how to cope in the first few weeks, funeral planning, memorials, what to do with ashes, bereavement payments, and getting back out into the real world. There is no guidebook for grief and no two people will experience grieving in the same way, so WAY aims to help people through the process as much as they can in many different ways, in order to suit the needs of individuals.
Link to their website: widowedandyoung.org.uk
Twitter: @WidowedAndYoung
SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide)
SOBS supports adults bereaved by suicide. It offers a helpline, email assistance, local support groups and retreats. They help approximately 7,000 people each year, but the demand is still not met. They currently have around 150 volunteers from all walks of life but nearly all have been bereaved by suicide and they have become the only national charity providing dedicated support to adults who have been bereaved by suicide. This allows them to connect with others on a deeper level. Their website provides resources such as booklets, films, books, and poetry which offer support after suicide.
Telephone: 0300 111 5065
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: uksobs.org
Twitter: @SOBScharity
Suicide Bereavement UK
Suicide Bereavement UK conducts suicide bereavement research and provides consultancy on supporting those affected. It aims its resources at those bereaved or affected by suicide trying to identify support and key resources; professionals who come into contact with those bereaved by suicide; those responsible for developing or commissioning a postvention service; those who wish to attend evidence-based suicide bereavement training; and employers who are seeking bespoke crisis consultation when affected by suicide. Their website provides resources for anyone bereaved or affected by suicide and for professionals supporting them, resources for postvention service developers and commissioners, and educational materials and resources for anyone with a personal or professional interest in suicide bereavement support.
Telephone: 01706 827 359
Link to their website: suicidebereavementuk.com
Twitter: @SBUK11
SAMM (Support After Murder & Manslaughter)
SAMM offers support for families bereaved by murder and manslaughter. The helpline volunteers are specially trained and have been bereaved in this way. SAMM also organises retreats for the bereaved, such as empowerment weekends. They also have popup cafés which people can visit. They run online peer support groups that give you a chance to talk to others facing similar challenges which run during the day and in the evening to give maximum flexibility and regularly revisiting topics to ensure people catch them.
Telephone: 0121 472 2912
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: samm.org.uk
The Compassionate Friends
The Compassionate Friends is a charity made up of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members who have suffered the death of a child or children of any age and from any cause. They offer support, both directly to bereaved families, and indirectly by fostering understanding and good practice amongst professionals concerned with child death and by increasing public awareness. They emphasise that people need not walk alone, but reach out to each other with love, understanding and hope. Whatever pain people bring to the charity, it is pain that is shared, just as they share with each other the love for their children. We are all seeking to build a future for ourselves, but The Compassionate Friends charity is committed to doing it together.
Telephone: 0345 123 2304
Email: [email protected]
Link to their website: tcf.org.uk
Twitter: @TCFcharityUK