MAKE A SPLASH TO RAISE SOME CASH!

Winston’s Wish calls upon local communities to don their wellies for grieving children

Childhood bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish, is seeking support from local businesses, schools and community groups to join its latest fundraising campaign – Wear Wellies Day – on 24 May 2019. Groups across the South East are being invited to make a splash to raise some cash by simply putting on their wellies!

The campaign aims to raise as much awareness and money as possible for the charity which helps thousands of bereaved children every year across the UK. From a base in Hove, the charity currently supports children, their families and the professionals who support them throughout West Sussex, East Sussex, Brighton and Hove.

Every day in the UK, more than 100 children are bereaved of a parent. Unlike adults, who stay with their grief, children often jump in and out of theirs. The charity describes this journey as ‘puddle jumping’, to reflect that children may initially be upset about their loss but may then appear to be fine for a period of time and then become upset again, and so on. This can be very confusing both for children and the adults who care for them.

Conversations can allow children to express their emotions; be it sadness, anger, joy or fear. By opening up these important conversations about death, we can allow children who are grieving to ‘puddle jump’ while understanding their mixed emotions.

The death of a parent or sibling is one of the most traumatic situations a child can face, but thanks to the work of Winston’s Wish, a bereaved child can receive the support they need to make sense of what has happened and begin to learn to live with their loss. The charity relies entirely on voluntary donations aBrightonnd needs to raise over £2.5 million every year in order to continue to help as many children as possible.

Paul Moore, Head of Corporate & Community Engagement at Winston’s Wish, said:

“We try to create campaigns that not only help us to raise vital funds for our work, but which also reflect the nature of what we do. By wearing their wellies, we hope that our supporters will not only have an enjoyable day of fundraising, but also take a moment to reflect on the difficult journey that our children and young people face following the death of somebody close to them. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response we’ve received so far, but do hope that many more local people will come together to help us make a splash for grieving children this May.” 

While the charity is encouraging as many groups as possible to take part on 24 May, they would welcome registrations from those who are unable to make this date, but who may wish to take part at a time more suitable for them. On registering, all participants will receive a free fundraising pack complete with branded resources, and plenty of tips and hints to help them raise as much as possible for this very worthy cause.

To register for your free fundraising pack, visit winstonswish.org/wear-wellies-day or contact the charity’s fundraising team on 01242 515 157.

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