Winston's Wish

WINSTON'S WISH

Winston’s Wish

About Winston's Wish

Established in 1992, Winston’s Wish is the first UK charity established specifically to support bereaved children and young people, filling a significant gap in services at the time and raising awareness of childhood grief as a distinct area needing specialist intervention.

Research shows that, without support, bereaved children and young people face increased risk of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. They are also much more likely to engage in high-risk behaviours such as alcohol and drug taking. Notably, 41% of young offenders experienced bereavement as a child. Bereavement by the age of 16 is linked to poor educational outcomes and both men and women being unemployed at age 30. Children bereaved by suicide are three times more likely to die by suicide themselves.

Since its inception, the charity has been a pioneer in bereavement support evolving from its early local provision in Gloucestershire, to becoming a national charity offering a wide range of free, digital, and accessible on-demand bereavement support. Young people (up to the age of 25) and the adults supporting them can reach out in several ways. 

The charity was among the first to adopt a digital-first approach to bereavement support, embracing technology to enable instant access to bereavement professionals, making support available on-demand across the UK, reducing barriers, and making it easy to get help in the way that feels most comfortable. Winston’s Wish also provides a wealth of digital resources and training including practical information and guidance for grieving children and those caring for them – such as parents, school staff, and healthcare professionals. 

The charity is dedicated to placing children and young people at the core of every decision and action it takes. It is driven by a team of over 100 young ambassadors, aged 8 to 25, who use their lived experience of grief to support and inspire their peers, reduce feelings of isolation, and help shape the charity’s services.

In addition, recognising that traumatic deaths – such as those resulting from homicide, manslaughter, suicide, or military service – present additional emotional and practical challenges, the charity offers tailored services designed to help children and young people process complex feelings, including fear, anger, guilt, and confusion.

“My piece of advice is, don’t keep it in you. If you talk to Winston’s Wish, they can help you through hard times.” 

- Harvey, who lost his Mum at two and a half years old, and his Dad two years later.

“Winston’s Wish helped me realise I wasn’t alone and that it was okay to talk about my feelings.” 

- Young person supported by Winston’s Wish

“The support I received made such a difference – I felt understood and less isolated.”

- Young person supported by Winston’s Wish

Why we support Winston’s Wish

Bereavement at a young age can have a lifelong negative impact if children and young people and those around them do not receive the support they need, when they need it. Winston’s Wish has been a trailblazer in service provision since its inception, and it continues to evolve its offering in collaboration with those it supports.

The charity has a strong focus on measuring outcomes and continuously improving accessibility (including multilingual resources and digital tools) ensuring that support is both effective and widely available.

Learn more about their work here.



In the Spring of 2025 Winston's Wish announced the merger with Child Bereavement UK, joining forces to provide sustainable, wrap-around support to children, young people, and their families.

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