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Grief is devastating at any age, but for a child, it is catastrophic; shattering a young person鈥檚 whole world. Grief Encounter, a leading UK bereavement charity, provide a lifeline for bereaved children, offering free, professional support services.聽

1 in 29 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before the age of 16, that鈥檚 1 child in every classroom. That鈥檚 why Grief Encounter鈥檚 services are so vital to mitigate against the negative outcomes of grief. Research shows that without early intervention, bereaved children can experience mental health, emotional, social and behavioural issues as they mature. The charity鈥檚 wide range of clinical services aim to give the right support at the right time, so young people can go on to lead full and happy lives.聽

Grief Encounter鈥檚 mission is to provide every child and young person in the UK with the best possible bereavement support, when they need it most. The charity鈥檚 unique Family Programme provides free, professional support via one to one counselling, group workshops, residential weekends and creative therapies, tailored to the individual鈥檚 needs, for as long as they need it.聽

The charity鈥檚 national, free and confidential helpline, grieftalk, exists to give immediate listening support, advice and guidance to anyone suffering grief. Open 9am 鈥� 9pm weekdays, the helpline is accessible via phone, email and live web chat.

Grief Encounter supports over 3000 individuals every year, and relies on voluntary donations to continue offering its vital services. With your help, the charity can reach even more bereaved children and young people across the UK.聽

鈥淕rief doesn鈥檛 stop, so neither will we.鈥澛�

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"I鈥檓 honoured to be supporting this appeal for Grief Encounter, one of the UKs leading bereavement charities, and a cause that is very close to my heart. I lost a very close friend to me in 2020 and I understand the聽importance of the work Grief Encounter does in supporting children, young people and anyone who has, like me, experienced the death of someone close. Grief Encounter is there to give free, professional support to those who need it most through their face-to-face and online help services, helping to bring light back into the darkest time of children鈥檚 lives.鈥�

Tom and Rosie experienced the death of their wife and mum to Cancer. As a surviving parent, Tom found his experience to be hugely isolating, and left him with his children struggling at school and trying to cope with the death of their mother. He reached out to Grief Encounter for tailored therapy to suit his eldest daughter Rosie鈥檚 needs and she began 12 months of play therapy, designed to help her move forward in her grief journey positively. 聽鈥淕rief Encounter has been a huge part of my family鈥檚 life, after Laura died 3 years ago I didn鈥檛 know which way to turn. Grief Encounter has made a huge impact on our lives.鈥�

Floss鈥� dad died by suicide when she was four. Her Mum, Jess, contacted Grief Encounter shortly after to seek help on how to talk to her daughter about the death and the way in which he had died. Floss has taken part in age appropriate group workshops and residential weekends with other bereaved children and their families, and has found them to be a great comfort and a way to make like-minded friends, which has removed the isolation grief can so often bring. Jess credits Grief Encounter with giving Floss the strength to have confidence in telling other people about her Dad, and deal with her grief in a positive way. Floss has made lifelong friends through taking part in workshops with Grief Encounter, never feeling like the 鈥榦dd one out鈥�.

In 2019, just before a global pandemic hit the UK, Joe experienced the death of his mum Michelle. Feeling like his grief was all consuming, affecting his University studies, and living in lockdown with his family all suffering their own emotions, Joe reached out to Grief Encounter. Lockdown meant that Joe was able to access online support from Grief Encounter counsellor, Kristina. After a year of online 1:1 counselling, Joe felt able to continue with his University studies. He is also now an advocate for youth grief support, positively channelling聽his grief by hosting a podcast centred on grief and loss. He credits Grief Encounter for giving him the confidence to move forward in his grief, remembering his mum, Michelle, in all that he does.