Victoria Milligan

Victoria Milligan’s life was turned upside down in 2013 by a tragic speedboat accident in Cornwall. Her husband, Nick, and their 8-year-old daughter, Emily, were killed, Victoria had to have her leg amputated below the knee, and the couple’s other children – Amber, then 12, Olivia, 10, and Kit, 4 – were injured.

In 2014 Victoria organised The Milligan Bike Ride, pulling together a team of 125 cyclists to complete a gruelling 300-mile ride from Padstow to London, culminating in ‘Emily’s Fun Day’ in memory of her daughter. This has raised over £500,000 which has been split between RNLI and Child Bereavement UK.

I am proud to be a patron of Child Bereavement as they helped me rebuild trust in life again and held my hand through the dark days of grief, constantly reassuring me that I was doing well and advising me on how to speak to the children.

Latest

Claudia Winkleman becomes Patron of Child Bereavement UK

Claudia Winkleman has become a Patron of Child Bereavement UK, a charity which supports families and educates professionals both when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, and when a child is facing bereavement.
Snowdrop Walk Co. Durham
Snowdrop Walk Cheshire
Snowdrop Walk Buckinghamshire

Royal Patron: HRH The Duke of Cambridge

HRH The Duke of Cambridge has been Royal Patron of Child Bereavement UK since 2009.
Founder Patron: Julia Samuel MBE

Julia Samuel is a psychotherapist specialising in grief, who has spent the last twenty-nine years working with bereaved families. She has worked both in private practice and in the NHS at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington where she pioneered the role of maternity and paediatric psychotherapist. In 1994 she helped launch and establish the charity, and, as Founder Patron, continues to play an active role. Julia was awarded an MBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours list for services to bereaved children.
Emily Arch

Emily is a Civil Servant. She was supported by Child Bereavement UK after her second daughter, Abbie, was stillborn in September 2013. Emily has spoken on various occasions, including: on BBC R4 Woman’s Hour; at a City Law Firm’s fundraising panel, gaining their support for Child Bereavement UK; and at an event at 10 Downing St.
Gary Barlow

Gary Barlow Very sadly, Gary and his wife Dawn’s baby daughter, Poppy, was stillborn on 4th August 2012. Gary and Dawn therefore wanted to support Child Bereavement UK; in October 2015, Gary performed at Banqueting House in London for the charity’s 21st birthday celebration.
Mary Berry CBE

Mary has supported many Child Bereavement UK fundraising events over the years and raised money for the charity on BBC2’s Celebrity Cash in the Attic, taking part in BGC’s trading floor fundraiser, as well as reading at our Carol Concerts , hosting afternoon teas and book signings, and featuring in our One More Minute film campaign. Mary has a personal affinity with the charity – her son William died in 1989 at the age of 19.
Daniel Casey

Daniel became a patron of Child Bereavement UK after seeing how much help, support and comfort they gave his dear friends Eleanor and Jamie Wroath, and their son Samuel, following the tragic death of their precious daughter Miranda in 2008. He saw first-hand what an incredibly important support network Child Bereavement UK provides to people during the most traumatic and devastating events in their lives.
Mike Clare

Mike founded and is now non-exec President of the national bed superstore Dreams. Mike is no stranger to bereavement: his father died when Mike was 12, which had a great impact on his young life. In 1999 his elder (and only) brother died. The impact of seeing his nephew and niece grieving and coming to terms with their loss at a very similar age to when Mike and his brother lost their father, brought home many memories and deep emotions.
Lady Lucinda Dashwood

Lady Dashwood is involved with various local charities and became interested in Child Bereavement UK when she met the founder Jenni Thomas in the early 1990’s, who she thought was inspiring. She has hosted the family day at West Wycombe Park annually at which snowdrops have been planted by families supported by Child Bereavement UK. Lady Dashwood said: "I think Child Bereavement UK is a great charity which deserves our continuing support."
Alexander Dickinson

Alexander has been a supporter of Child Bereavement UK since the death of his elder son, George, in April 2000. Since raising the finance in 2001 for the charity to establish a bereavement support post in his native North East of England, Alexander has worked on a number of other projects to raise funds for Child Bereavement UK. Alexander is a solicitor and became a Patron in 2006.
Jon and Simon Dyer

Jon and Simon proudly took over the role of Patrons from their father Barry Albin-Dyer OBE, following his death in 2015. Barry was a staunch supporter of Child Bereavement UK and the company is proud to have Child Bereavement UK as one of its charities. It regularly supports the charity through Albin’s legendary annual Christmas Memorial Service.

Supporting bereaved children and young people

Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they show it in different ways. They copy the responses of the adults around them, and rely on adults to provide them with the support.
Telling a child that someone has died

It is important to tell a child of any age when someone important in their lives has died, and ideally this is done by someone who is closest to them.
What we offer

We are recognised as the leading provider of training for professionals working with bereaved families.
#OneMoreMinute campaign

If you had 'one more minute,' what would you say? Hear what bereaved families would say if they had one more minute with their special person who has died.
Royal Patron: HRH The Duke of Cambridge

HRH The Duke of Cambridge has been Royal Patron of Child Bereavement UK since 2009.
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.
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.
What we do

Our vision is for all families to have the support they need to rebuild their lives, when a child grieves or when a child dies.
UK death & bereavement statistics

A parent of children under 18 dies every 22 minutes in the UK; around 23,600 a year. This equates to around 111 children being bereaved of a parent every day.
Sudden death - including accidents, suicide and homicide

Bereavement can be devastating in any situation, but a sudden death brings additional layers of shock, horror or disbelief. The reality of what has happened may be very difficult to accept and you may be desperately searching for meaning and understanding. When a death is unexpected, you may have regrets over lost opportunities and unfulfilled plans. With no chance to say goodbye, there can be a sense of unfinished business, and a need to go over and over the events of what happened.