Blog | Page 14 of 17 | Winston's Wish

Supporting children and young people after a sudden, violent or traumatic death

11th May 2020 Advice

When someone in your life dies, feelings of grief can be overwhelming. These feelings may be even more difficult to handle if the death is traumatic, sudden or violent. There are many types of traumatic death – it could be through an accident, illness, terrorism, murder, manslaughter or suicide. Is grief after a ...

A calendar page with lots of family entries. Mummy's birthday is circled.

Ways to cope with anniversaries, birthdays and special days when you have been bereaved

6th May 2020 Advice

In the immediate aftermath of the death of someone important you will have many emotions and these can often resurface on special dates such as anniversaries and birthdays. How do you manage those days? Is it ok to remember? Is it ok to avoid remembering on that day? What can ...

Young brother and sister sharing tablet device.

What do children and young people understand about death?

27th April 2020 Advice

How much children understand about death will be different at different ages and stages of development. These are the most common understandings of death by children of different ages but remember that all children are special and unique and therefore, they will respond to and understand death in their own ...

Should I tell my children that their loved one is dying?

22nd April 2020 Advice

When a parent, grandparent brother or sister is seriously ill, whether they have cancer or another illness, there may come a point when you know that they may not survive. This will be a dreadful realisation for you to come to terms with, and you will be faced with the ...

Remembering a loved one on special days: How to make an indoor memory garden

9th April 2020 Advice

Give focus to your celebration by creating an Indoor Memory Garden. We know that celebrations and festivals, like Easter, are of course times of fun but when someone is missing from that celebration there can be an underlying feeling of sadness. Remembering loved ones at the time of celebrations and festivals can ...

A message from the founder of Winston’s Wish, Julie Stokes OBE

30th March 2020 Blog, News

In 1992, I returned to the UK after a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship with lots of exciting ideas on how we could bring children together, to help them support each other, express their feelings and ultimately rebuild their lives when someone had died. Winston’s ‘wish’ was that every child who ...

Mother talking with daughter on the sofa

Talking to children and young people about suicide in the news

19th February 2020 Advice

It is a sad fact that suicide rates are tragically on the rise in the UK. Stories are regularly reported in the media, widely communicated in person and across social media, resulting in exposure to sometimes quite distressing reports. When these sorts of events hit the news, it’s important to think ...

Small girl sat on the floor looking sad while her mum strokes her hair

Should children attend a funeral?

3rd February 2020 Advice

Some families believe that children should not attend a funeral. However, it can help them to begin to accept the reality of the death and also to be less scared. Children are usually more scared about what they don’t know than what they are allowed to be part of as ...

Asian mum on the phone with young child and laptop in front of her.

Preparing a child to attend a funeral

29th January 2020 Advice

The involvement of children and young people in funerals and other rituals following a death will, of course, vary in families depending on their cultural and religious beliefs, but it can help children if they can see for themselves rather than let their imaginations run riot. From conversations with bereaved children ...

Talking about sudden death with children and young people

14th January 2020 Advice

When someone in your life dies, feelings of grief can be overwhelming. These feelings may be even more difficult to handle if the death is sudden, traumatic or violent. There are many types of sudden death – it could be through an illness, an accident, murder, manslaughter or suicide. How might ...

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