About Winston’s Wish Charity
Winston’s Wish is a national charity that is here for children and young people (aged 25 or under) across the UK who are bereaved, or are facing the death of someone important.
Childhood bereavement charity supporting grieving children and families
Winston’s Wish offers free, accessible online grief support to children and young people (aged 25 or under). Our services are completely digital, making them accessible across the UK. We help no matter how long they’ve been living with grief or who has died.
We’re the UK’s first childhood bereavement charity and have been leading the way in young people’s grief support since 1992. To this day we reach more than 90,000 bereaved children and young people across the UK every year.
Grief is as unique as the person who’s living it; our bereavement specialists take the time to get to know and understand the needs of each individual grieving child or young person and give them the support that suits them. Grief isn’t one-size-fits-all; so neither are our support services.
We provide a huge range of practical advice, guidance, and support for bereaved children and young people as well as the adults supporting them. We help by:
- Providing instant access to expert bereavement support
Our trained bereavement specialists are available Monday to Friday, 8am–8pm, via live chat, phone, email, text and WhatsApp, or via our website. No appointment needed. No wait lists.
- Offering trusted information and resources
Free, online tools, content, guides, and publications to help children and young people understand their grief and feel less alone, and to help the adults around them feel more confident supporting them.
- Facilitating peer support and one-to-one sessions
If a child or young person is really struggling with their grief, our bereavement specialists will explore the child’s needs and assess if they could benefit from additional support.
- Helping professionals understand how to help
Our range of training and education programmes aim to help professionals support the bereaved children and young people they work with.
If you need support, we’re here for you right now.
Our expert bereavement team are available to speak with right away. No appointments or waiting lists, just real-life support. Start a conversation now. You can speak with us between 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays). You must be 13 or older to receive support via text or WhatsApp.
Call
Call to speak with a Bereavement Specialist. Freephone 08088 020 021, 8am to 8pm weekdays (excluding Bank Holidays).
Email us on ask@winstonswish.org and we’ll reply within two working days.
Live chat
Chat online with a member of our bereavement team between 8am and 8pm, weekdays (excluding Bank Holidays). Click on the blue ‘Chat with us’ button at the bottom right of your screen.
Text or Whatsapp
Text or WhatsApp us on 07418 341 800 (open 3pm-8pm, Monday to Friday)
What we do
Our support
The death of someone important is one of the most traumatic situations for a child, but with our help they can face the future with hope.
Our mission
Find out more about our vision and our mission to make sure no child or young person faces grief alone.
Our values
Find out more about our key values which inform everything we do; whether this is with children, parents, professionals or each other.
Our blog
Our experienced team shares their advice on supporting grieving children and young people, along with our latest news updates.
Get in touch
Details on how to contact us, whether you are looking for support, planning fundraising events or have general enquires.
Research
Working with trusted partners, including the University of Cambridge, we produce reports into childhood bereavement.
Our impact as the first childhood bereavement charity
Last year, we reached and impacted the lives of 95,744 children and young people after the death of someone important to them. This is a devastating situation for a child, but with the right support at the right time, delivered in the right way, we know they can go on to lead full and flourishing lives.
About us
Our history
From 1992 to today, Winston’s Wish has led the way in providing specialist child bereavement support services across the UK.
Facts and figures
More than 100 children are bereaved of a parent every day in the UK, that’s around 41,000 every single year.
Meet our team
From our patrons to our trustees, everyone at Winston’s Wish is passionate about supporting bereaved children and their families.
Work for us
We’re always looking for talented and committed people to join our team and help bereaved children get the support they need.
Our newsletter
Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter with all our news, plus advice on supported grieving children and young people.
Media centre
Advice on reporting about childhood bereavement, spokespeople available for interview and contact details for our press office.
Why we do what we do
Connect with us
Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media for all our latest news and advice on supporting grieving children and young people.