Latest £1,000 Mystery Donation Reaches Winston’s Wish

WITH a headquarters in Gloucestershire, the UK’s first children’s and young people’s bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish, was surprised to find a mystery envelope in the post which contained £1,000 in old £20 notes.

Recently a variety of charities in the Southwest of England have been receiving donations totalling £1,000 from a mystery donor. In a similar fashion to the other charities, the donation to Winston’s Wish was sent in the post via a large folded-over envelope complete with a hand-written address, sparking the belief that the donations are from the same kind of individual.

It is believed that Winston’s Wish is the fourth charity in recent months to receive this generous donation.

Winston’s Wish Individual Giving Manager Olivia commented:

“We are amazed and delighted by this kind donation and wish to thank whoever is behind this anonymous gesture for their kindness. We not only value the donation in itself which will help us to continue to support bereaved children and young people find their feet when their worlds are turned upside down by grief, but we appreciate being recognised as a cause worth supporting.

“Each day more than 100 children and young people are told the devastating news that their parent has died, and many more young people are having to cope with the death of another significant individual such as a sibling or friend. We provide support to children and young people, as well as the adults around them such as parents, guardians or teachers by offering advice through on-demand services such as Helpline, Live Chat, ASK email inbox and one-to-one sessions by referral.

“We would like to use this opportunity to thank whoever is behind this kind gesture and let them know how much we appreciate their generosity.

“It costs £299 to fund live chat for a day during which time we offer advice and support to grieving children, young people and concerned adults. Some of our callers are as young as five years old and many are dealing with traumatic bereavements as well as those who are seeking support and reassurance. We greatly appreciate the kindness of all of our donors and know that we have an army of supporters behind us so that we can move toward a future in which no child is left to grieve alone.”

Established in 1992, Winston’s Wish has been offering advice and support to children and young people for more than 30 years when they are confronted with the bereavement of somebody significant in their lives.

Initially starting out as a Gloucester-based charity, today Winston’s Wish is a national charity and reaches more than 60,000 young people across the UK. Alongside offering practical advice to bereaved young people themselves, including offering those with lived experience an opportunity to become a Youth Ambassador where they can share their story and take part in a variety of activities, the charity also offers training to educational and healthcare professionals to help support bereaved young people.

The charity would like to thank whoever is behind this kind gesture for their generous donation.

Winston’s Wish is keen to reassure bereaved young people and their families that they are welcome to chat online, email or call for free to speak to a bereavement support worker by calling 08088 020 021, emailing ask@winstonswish.org or using the live chat at: winstonswish.org.