National UK Helpline 0345 123 2304 helpline@tcf.org.uk
Open every day (from 10 am - 4 pm and 7 -10 pm)
The line is always answered by a bereaved parent who is there to listen and support
Support days for those in early bereavement
These supportive days are especially for those parents who are in the first five years of bereavement or have not attended a TCF support day or retreat before. This will be a unique opportunity to be together in a safe place to hear from and share with others who have experienced the loss of a child.

Come and meet with others who understand the pain of early grief, and immerse yourself in the comfort and warmth of a dedicated team of bereaved parent volunteers.

We understand that for many coming to a support day can be hard to do, especially on your own, but please know that you will be among 'friends' all of whom are bereaved parents themselves. We will ensure that you are warmly welcomed and that the day is relaxed and supportive.

Find out more about bereavement support days. Places are limited so if your preferred day is fully booked please email us to be added to the waiting list, as places may become available.

We are sorry that we are not able to run these days all over the UK - if there is not a day near you, please consider booking into a hotel or Airbnb the night before and/or after so you can be there. We would love you to join us.
Local support groups
Our local support groups for bereaved parents are still testing the waters with regard to face to face support – some are meeting face to face again, others have decided to continue with online support only for the time being, whilst others will offer a hybrid of the two.

Your local group the TCF volunteer facilitator will be in touch with you to let you know how and when the support group will meet.

New support group starting in Lanarkshire, Scotland. First meeting is the evening of Monday 6 September. Email Sharryn for more details.

For details of local or group support near you contact our Helpline on 0345 123 2304 or email us.
Online support groups for specific circumstances
In addition to local group support, are also continuing to offer occasional support groups online for specific circumstances. You can join our supportive volunteer group facilitators to find understanding and comfort talking, sharing with and listening to other bereaved parents who have experienced a similar loss.


  • Bereaved by substance use or alcohol - Thursday 2 September, 7 - 8.30 pm

  • Bereaved by cancer or long term illness - Thursday 9 September, 7 - 8.30 pm

  • Group for parents whose only child or children have died (childless parents) - Wednesday 15 September, 7 - 8.30 pm

  • Support group for bereaved fathers (men only please) - Thursday 16 September, 7 - 8.30 pm

  • Parents who have lost a baby, toddler or very young child (from a month old up to 4 years) - Tuesday 21 September, 2 - 3.30 pm

  • Bereaved of a school age child (5 - 16 years) - Tuesday 21 September, 7 - 8.30 pm

  • Bereaved by suicide - Thursday 23 September, 7 - 8.30 pm

(If booking for a group is not yet open please check back as it will open shortly)

The next online support group for bereaved adult siblings (18 years+) is on Thursday 30 September, 7 - 8.30 pm Register here

More details of other online support groups for specific circumstances running during October and November are being added to our website weekly. Check back HERE for updates or see our Facebook or Twitter feeds.


Please note that online groups may not be suitable for those in very early bereavement.
Walking and talking together
Shrewsbury Severnside Walk
A semi-urban walk for bereaved parents and siblings in this ancient county town
Saturday 18 September, 10.15 am start

Following their successful walk from Chirk in July, bereaved parents and TCF volunteers, David and Fiona, warmly invite you to join them for a day in September walking and talking beside the river Severn in Shrewsbury in Shropshire.

London Docklands Walk
Saturday 18 September, 11 am start
Meet at London Bridge Station

The fifth TCF London Walk will be once again led by bereaved dad, Terry. This time the route will feature the water - river, canals and docks - for most of its length. So, even though this walk is in London, there will be lots of open space, very little traffic and a feeling of tranquility. All bereaved parents and siblings are warmly welcome to join Terry.

Supportive online talks
A gentle reminder that all the inspiring talks hosted by TCF are available to listen again via YouTube or on our website. Over the months since August last year we have heard from a variety of guest speakers who are themselves also bereaved parents or siblings. Each speaker has offered us their unique perspectives and reflections on grief and loss. All the talks have been designed to help you feel less alone and suggest some ideas on getting through and finding hope.
New - just published
A warm thank you to all of our sponsors Jayne Furber, Ninette Hartley, Brenda and Antony Lawson of the Jessica Lawson Trust and Jane and Jimmy Edmonds of the Good Grief Project. Thank you too to all the parents who contributed to the leaflet. You all made publication of this vital resource possible.
A new supportive leaflet, When Your Child Has Died Abroad has just been published, covering

  • Finding out about the death
  • Contacting the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office  - what they can and cannot do
  • Questions to ask yourself when preparing to travel to where your child died
  • Communications, legal matters and customs in a foreign country
  • The places we go to remember our child
  • Our life now and into the future


Request a printed copy by email

Fundraising news
All donations and proceeds from sponsorship and book sales will support TCF’s work with bereaved parents and families.  
Can you help us with storage space?

Forget-Me-Not Poems: A Collection of Poetry Honouring Children Gone Too Soon, an anthology of 100 poems will be published soon in one beautiful volume together with photos of precious children and siblings. Many of the poems have been sponsored and together with sales of the book, we are hoping the project will raise thousands of pounds for our charity. 

We are looking for storage for approximately 500 copies of the book (roughly 15-20 boxes) If anyone has a dry, clean storage area ideally reasonably close to London – a garage, a room, a cellar – where we could keep the books please email us if you can help.
Glasgow Lottery supports TCF

We are delighted to now be part of Glasgow’s Community Lottery. Please join and choose TCF as your nominated charity. You could raise funds for us whilst potentially winning up to £25k - we need these funds to continue to support bereaved parents throughout Glasgow and beyond. Go to the link www.glasgowlottery.scot and search for Compassionate Friends. Thank you so much for your support.
Lands End to John O'Groats - cycling for TCF

The amazing Gary Goodwin is solo-cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats at the end of September in memory of his son Stevie-Lee Goodwin and raising funds for The Compassionate Friends.

Thank you so much Gary and all of us at TCF wish you lots of luck with this incredible challenge.

Find out more and support Gary via his Just Giving Page
Charity donation schemes reminder
How you can help us fund our support services and reach out to more bereaved families?

  • Pop into your local Waitrose to complete the short application form for TCF to become one of the beneficiaries of the Community Matters scheme

  • Apply to the Asda Green Tokens Scheme asking for TCF to benefit from the scheme. Find out more here

  • Shop AmazonSmile and Amazon donates to The Compassionate Friends, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is also available in the Amazon Shopping App. When you activate AmazonSmile in the app, every eligible purchase will automatically generate a donation for TCF. Go to Settings in your app’s menu to activate
Volunteers wanted to join our team
Could you offer the understanding and comfort of peer support?

Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our charity - without the help of our dedicated team we would not be able to support, befriend and comfort bereaved parents in the way that we do.
We are currently looking for parents bereaved at least, and preferably more than, 3 years for roles as support group facilitators and local support contacts, anywhere in the UK and particularly in or near the following areas cities, towns and regions

* Sheffield * Wigan * Liverpool * Lake District and North Pennines * Norwich and Norfolk generally (support group needed) * Preston * Stafford * Blackpool * Rotherham * Plymouth * Exeter (support group needed) * Hull * Grimsby * Lincoln * Loughborough * Leicester * Coventry * Grantham * Peterborough * Lowestoft * Cambridge * Ely * Stevenage * Luton * St Albans * Ipswich * Aylesbury * Dover * Canterbury * Maidstone * Barnstaple * Carlisle * Dumfries * The Borders * Perth * Dundee * Aberdeen (support group needed) * Inverness * Wales - particularly Aberystwyth and Portmadog areas * Northern Ireland (particularly in counties of Fermanagh, Armagh, Tyrone, and Down)

We welcome bereaved parents from any background or ethnicity who would like to help us deliver high quality peer support to others who are similarly bereaved.

We now recommend that ideally support groups are set up with at least 2 facilitators if possible. Our next information and training day for prospective support group facilitators will be run online over two Saturday morning sessions on 6 and 13 November. To reserve a space please email us.
Training is also provided for local support contacts.
Latest blog
"I’m writing this in mid-August.
August is the month my life changed - 13 years ago".

Bereaved mum, TCF volunteer and vice-chair of Trustees, Sue Hughes, writes about the loss of her son, Joe, and how she was helped by sharing with others.


This article was taken from the Autumn edition of TCF's Compassion magazine - written by bereaved parents, for bereaved parents. If you would like to receive Compassion regularly then please join TCF as a donating/supporting member here
A Service of Reflection for Those Affected by Suicide
Sunday 12 September, 2 pm
Truro Cathedral, Cornwall

Everyone is welcome, of all faiths and none. (This is not a TCF event)
For more information on support and services for bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents see our website at the buttons below.