Children’s hospice charity launches bereavement appeal to support local families

FOR over 20 years, leading children’s hospice charity, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices has provided outstanding care to children living with life-limiting conditions, and their families, giving bespoke specialist nursing care and respite, end-of-life care and bereavement support across Surrey and west London.

Earlier this year, the charity launched its new three-year strategy which focuses on supporting every family with a life-limited child or whose child has died. One of their key ambitions is to ensure they can support every family whose child dies in Surrey and west London – to help parents, siblings and grandparents facing the most difficult of experiences.

To achieve this, they are calling on the public to donate to their bereavement appeal, to help them expand on their specialist bereavement support to reach a much wider range of families.

In a typical year, 276 children die across Surrey, north-west London and south-west London. Currently, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices specialist bereavement care is currently reaching just 29% of families who have a child that dies.

The support the charity offers to bereaved families is unique in their area, working alongside other organisations, they bring together expert health and social care professionals who provide a bespoke, family-centred approach that can support everyone impacted by the profound grief that the death of a child can bring.

Paul Farthing, Chief Executive of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices said:

“Our ambition is to offer bereavement support to all families of children who have died across Surrey, north-west London and south-west London by 2026. The death of a child has a devastating impact on a family. It can lead to anxiety, depression and trauma that threaten to shatter family life. The death of a child increases the likelihood of premature death in a parent by 32%.

“This ambition can’t be achieved alone. We will continue to work with other organisations who have experience and expertise in end-of-life care and bereavement, local hospitals and healthcare professionals. We also need our incredible supporters – the individuals, companies, local groups and trusts that drive forward our work with their unwavering support.

“We want to make every moment count for every family facing the unimaginable. Please consider making a donation today to help us if you can.”

Find out more about the vital work of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices at: www.shootingstar.org.uk/missing-you.