News, events and schools' information for families across Bath and West Wiltshire

Winston’s Wish, the charity for bereaved children and teenagers, is launching a new online support for young people dealing with bereavement. The launch of #Help2MakeSense sees a video campaign, new young person’s website and social media campaign aimed at making bereavement advice, support and information more accessible for young people.
The new young person’s website, www.help2makesense.org, sees a refreshed approach to providing information and access to support for young people and teenagers.
The campaign is supported by a new video, highlighting the confusion and difficulty young people face in coming to terms with their grief. It tells the story of Nicole, who faces confusing situations following the death of her father. This is a typical situation for a young person to find themselves in after a significant loss and it can be hard for them to make sense of their grief.
Winston’s Wish aims to raise awareness of this issue through the campaign and to encourage young people to access support following bereavement.
Over 41,000 children are bereaved of a parent every year in the UK. The transition from childhood to adulthood can be a challenging process at the best of times. Studies show that if childhood grief is not dealt with appropriately, it can have a deep and lasting effect on a child’s emotional well-being and potentially cause problems later in life.
The launch of the new resources for young people follows the launch of a new Freephone national helpline from Winston’s Wish, which aims to make bereavement support more accessible for young people and their families.
Help2makesense.org.uk replaces the old For Young People website from Winston’s Wish.
Sacha Richardson, Director of Family Services at Winston’s Wish, commented,
“It was really important for us to update our services for young people and to make ourselves more accessible for them. Making sense of bereavement can be extremely difficult and confusing for young people, so we hope that our new campaign not only highlights this but makes it easier for them to access the support they need.”
The Winston’s Wish Helpline can be called on 08088 020 021 and is open Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm. Calls are free and confidential.