Suicide Prevention Support 

If you are thinking about suicide, or are worried about someone who is thinking about suicide, the following organisations are ready to help and support you. 

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Samaritans are there 24/7 if you need someone to talk to. They will listen, they won't judge, and they won't tell you what to do. You can contact them any time.

Call: 116 123

Email Support: jo@samaritans.org 

Website: www.samaritans.org

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PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is a national charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide in children and young people. Check out their website for information and support, and contact their helpline for confidential support and practical advice: 

HOPELINE247

Call: 0800 068 41 41 (24/7, 365 days a year) 

Text Support: 07860 039 967

Email Support: pat@papyrus-uk.org

Website: www.papyrus-uk.org

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The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) stand with everyone who’s struggling with life, no matter who they are, where they’re from or what they’re going through. Check out their website for information, and contact their helpline for support: 

Call: 0800 58 58 58 (5:00pm to midnight, every day) 

Website: www.thecalmzone.net

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The Stay Alive app is a suicide prevention resource packed full of useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis. You can use it if you are having thoughts of suicide or if you are concerned about someone else who may be considering suicide. The app is available for both Android and iOS. Download it from Google Play or the App Store. 

 

 

Bereavement Support 

If you are looking for support after a bereavement or loss, the following organisations are ready to help and support you. Some provide practical support and information on what to do after a bereavement, others provide emotional support with your grief. 

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Citizen's Advice provides information on what happens, and things you might need to think about, after someone dies. You might feel overwhelmed after someone dies; the Tell Us Once service lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go, rather than having to inform lots of different organisations. 

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Contact your GP. They will be able to explore some of the support available to you. The NHS also has online information on grief after bereavement or loss, as well as links to other services and sources of support.

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Cruse Bereavement Support is a national organisation offering support, advice and information when someone dies. Their helpline is run by trained bereavement volunteers, who offer emotional support to anyone affected by grief. Cruse also provides short-term one-to-one support with trained bereavement supporters, either over the phone or via a video call. 

Call: 0808 808 1677 

Email: helpline@cruse.org.uk  

Website: www.cruse.org.uk 

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At a Loss is a national signposting website for bereaved people, providing a directory of bereavement support services and bereavement resources.

Website: www.ataloss.org

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The Good Grief Trust provides support for bereaved people and brings together information and resources from a range of bereavement services across the country.

Website: www.thegoodgrieftrust.org

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Marie Curie's Bereavement Service provides free telephone support sessions with a bereavement volunteer. Whether your bereavement was expected, happened recently or was some time ago, they are there to listen and help.

Call: 0800 090 2309

Website: www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/bereavement

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Sue Ryder's Online Bereavement Support provides a range of information, resources and support. Their services are free and easy to access on your computer, smartphone or tablet.

Website: https://www.sueryder.org/how-we-can-help/online-bereavement-support

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What's Your Grief is a website and online community for grieving people and grief support professionals. They honour all types of loss and grief.

Website: whatsyourgrief.com

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Good Grief Festival events aim to normalise the conversation around grief and show that it is a natural part of life. They host an engaging programme of events that bring people together to gain insight, hear stories they can relate to, and find support as part of the Good Grief community. They post videos on The Grief Channel on YouTube.

Website: goodgrieffest.com/about

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Widowed and Young (WAY) is a national charity for people aged 50 or under when their partner died. It’s a peer-to-peer support group operating with a network of volunteers who have been bereaved at a young age themselves.

Website: www.widowedandyoung.org.uk

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Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) provides support for people who are bereaved or affected by suicide. SOBS offers a national helpline, online forum, and support groups specifically for those bereaved by suicide.

Website: uksobs.org

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Help is at Hand is a resource for people bereaved by suicide or other unexplained death, and for those helping them. It provides emotional and practical support and information. People who have been bereaved by suicide have been the principal authors of the guide, with support from Public Health England (PHE) and the National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA). 

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The Lullaby Trust provides confidential bereavement support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or young child. They also have a bereavement support helpline

Call: 0808 802 6868 (10:00am to 2:00pm, Monday to Friday, and 6:00pm to 10:00pm, weekends)

Email Support: support@lullabytrust.org.uk

Website: www.lullabytrust.org.uk 

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Sands supports anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth. They offer a helpline and a bereavement support app; a UK-wide network of support groups with trained befrienders; an online forum, and bereavement support resources. 

Website: www.sands.org.uk/support-you

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The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a charitable organisation dedicated to the support and care of of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents who have suffered the death of a child or children from a month old and and from any cause.

Website: www.tcf.org.uk

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Let’s Talk About Loss supports young people aged 18-35 who are bereaved. Whoever you’ve lost, they offer a safe space to talk about that loss in a relaxed environment. They arrange meet ups across the UK to find friends who ‘get it’. 

Website: letstalkaboutloss.org

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If you would like to read about grief, I recommend "The Plain Guide to Grief", by Dr John Wilson. 

This book helps you to understand your grief. Nobody has ever grieved like you are doing, you and your grief are unique. This book is a guide to support you in your journey, not a method for you to follow. Dr Wilson says this book can help after the death of a loved one, but it can also help with other difficult losses, such as the loss of a job, of health, of a friendship or an intimate relationship, or loss of a pet.

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Griefcast is a podcast that examines the human experience of grief and death. Each week the host, Cariad Lloyd, talks to a different guest about their experiences of grief. Together they share their views on “the pain, loss and the weirdness that happens when someone dies”.

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Blue Cross provides support for pet bereavement and pet loss. Lives can be transformed by the love and companionship pets bring, so saying goodbye can be challenging. 

Website: www.bluecross.org.uk/about-pbss

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Bereavement Support for Children and Young People

If you are looking for support for bereaved children and young people, the following organisations are here to help. 

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Child Bereavement UK helps families when a child grieves or when a child dies. They support children and young people when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.

Call: 0800 02 888 40 (9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday)

Email Support: helpline@childbereavementuk.org

Website: www.childbereavementuk.org

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Winston's Wish provides support for grieving children and young people after the death of someone important. As well as resources and information, they provide support via their online chat, helpline, and email support service.

Call: 08088 020 021 (8:00am to 8:00pm, Monday to Friday)

Email Support: ask@winstonswish.org

Website: www.winstonswish.org 

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Grief Encounter supports bereaved children and young people. They provide a range of support, including a helpline called grieftalk, which offers a web chat service too​.

Call: 0808 802 0111 (9:00am to 9:00pm, weekdays)

Email Support: grieftalk@griefencounter.org.uk

Website: www.griefencounter.org.uk

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Hope Again is the youth website of Cruse Bereavement Support. It has been created for young people, by young people. They offer support online solely for children and young people who are bereaved. 

Website: www.hopeagain.org.uk

 

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You can also contact me if you're looking for help and support.