When a sibling has died

A Manual for Heartache

Cathy Rentzenbrink

When Cathy was still a teenager, her happy family was torn apart after an accident. In A Manual for Heartache she describes how she learnt to live with grief and loss and find joy in the world again. She explores how to cope with life at its most difficult and overwhelming and how we can emerge from suffering forever changed, but filled with hope. It is a moving, warm and uplifting book that offers solidarity and comfort to anyone going through a painful time, whatever it might be. It's a book that will help to soothe an aching heart and assure its readers that they're not alone.

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Sisters and Brothers: Stories about the death of a sibling

Julie Bentley and Simon Anthony Blake

Sometimes those who have lost a sibling can feel like forgotten mourners. This book is a collection of short contributions discussing sibling loss. It tells the very individual story of 12 people’s individual experience of bereavement when facing the death of an adult sibling.

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The Last Act of Love: The Story of My Brother and His Sister

Cathy Rentzenbrink

The Last Act of Love is a book about Cathy Rentzenbrink’s own relationship with her brother, Matty. In 1990, when Matty was just weeks away from getting his GCSE results, he was in a hit and run accident and left in a permanent vegetative state. This book is the love that came before this event and what happens in the aftermath of tragedy.

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Latest

When someone special dies | Leaflets

The information in this series of leaflets is designed to help young people to understand their feelings after a bereavement.
“Tell as many or as few people as you want...do what makes sense for you’’

Francesca was supported by Child Bereavement UK after her father died when she was 17. She shares her experience of starting university as a bereaved young person and telling people that she's bereaved.
Run with us at the Great North Run 2025

Take part in the biggest half marathon in the world and raise funds for Child Bereavement UK.
Philanthropy Officer (full time)

An exciting opportunity has become available for a talented and enthusiastic Philanthropy Officer to join a high performing and friendly fundraising team.

When someone special dies | Leaflets

The information in this series of leaflets is designed to help young people to understand their feelings after a bereavement.
“Tell as many or as few people as you want...do what makes sense for you’’

Francesca was supported by Child Bereavement UK after her father died when she was 17. She shares her experience of starting university as a bereaved young person and telling people that she's bereaved.
Philanthropy Officer (full time)

An exciting opportunity has become available for a talented and enthusiastic Philanthropy Officer to join a high performing and friendly fundraising team.
Child Bereavement UK launches new service in Birmingham

Child Bereavement UK has launched a new service in Birmingham providing support for bereaved children, young people, parents, and families in the city, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Gower Peninsula Challenge

South Wales | 10km, 25km, 50km, 75km and 100km options
Chiltern Challenge

Henley-on-Thames | 10km, 25km and 50km options
Kent Downs Challenge

Maidstone | 10km, 25km and 50km options
Bath Challenge

Bath | 10km, 29km and 50km options
North Downs Challenge

Surrey | 10km, 25km and 50km options
South West Coast Challenge

Exmoor | 10km, 25km and 50km options

Supporting bereaved children and young people

Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they can show it in different ways. Find out how you can help them and more about child grieving.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Guidance on children's understanding of death at different ages and stages of development.
Grieving for a child of any age

The agony of losing a child of any age is unparalleled. There is no age or point in time that makes it any easier. No parent expects to face the death of their child and no grandparent expects to lose their grandchild.
Child Bereavement UK training

Child Bereavement UK designs and delivers training for professionals in health and social care, education, the emergency services and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
When a grandparent dies

The death of a grandparent is often a child or young person’s first encounter with the death of someone important. Parents have a great deal to manage when their own parent or carer dies. There is the grief associated with their own loss, but also the reactions and responses of their children to the death of a grandparent.
Explaining death and dying to children

Guidance for teachers and parents on talking to children about death and dying,
Explaining to a child that someone has died

Guidance on explaining to a child that someone has died.
Contact us

Contact details for our Helpline, departments and services.
When your baby dies

When a baby lives only a short time or dies before birth due to miscarriage, stillbirth or a painful decision to end the pregnancy, people may assume that the loss is not important. This is simply not the case.
For adults bereaved as children

How being bereaved as a child can affect your life as an adult and where you can find support.