Why the charity is needed

Grief, in its many forms, is one of the most painful experiences that anyone can suffer, and every year it is experienced by thousands of families in this country.

• Around 53 children and young people under 18 are bereaved of a mother or father every day.
• Each year over 3000 children and young people die between the ages of 1 and 19, as a result of illness or accident.
• Every year one baby in a hundred dies before, at, or soon after birth - that is 17 babies each day.
• A further 1700 babies die before reaching their first birthday.
• One in four pregnant women has a miscarriage. Following antenatal testing, more than 2% of babies will be diagnosed with a serious problem, leaving parents to make a very difficult choice around termination of pregnancy.
• One in 100 babies is born with a mental or physical disability.
• Each year, around 6000 families are bereaved by suicide.
• Each day many couples face the grief of failed IVF treatment.

While so different, these experiences and many others involve strong feelings of loss.