See a web version of this email here
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.
March & April 2021 Newsletter
Upright With Knickers On
Surviving the Death of a Child

Join us at this unique online event where we will hear from bereaved mums, dads and siblings - all contributors to this wonderful book - about what has helped them survive and find meaning and hope again.

Monday 15 March 2021, 7 - 8.30 pm
Online via Zoom


All proceeds to The Compassionate Friends
Finding Hope After Losing A Child
with guest speaker Jane Oundjian MBE

Helping the bereaved to find hope is a passion for Jane Oundjian - so we are delighted that we will be welcoming her as guest speaker at the next online event hosted by The Compassionate Friends.

Jane will offer us her unique story and perspectives on the losses in her own life, as well as the learning and wisdom derived from the many bereaved people she has worked with over a long career and experience.

Wednesday 14 April 2021, 7 - 8.15 pm
Online via Zoom
Online Peer Support Groups

Many of our local support groups have moved online during the restrictions; please contact our Helpline on 0345 123 2304 or email to find out if there is a group local to you.

You can also join us at one of our specialist online support groups. All our groups are run by volunteer facilitators who are bereaved of a child (or sibling) themselves. Please note priority is given to parents who have not attended a group before.
Specialist groups for parents in March

  • Bereaved by cancer or long term illness - 17 March

  • Parents bereaved by suicide - 25 March

  • Group for bereaved lone parents - 31 March

Specialist groups for parents in April
Will open soon for registration

  • Group for childless parents - loss of our only child or children - 1 April

  • Bereaved of a child in a road traffic incident - 7 April

  • Bereaved fathers group (men only please) - 7 April

  • Online support group for bereaved parents in Northern Ireland - 12 April

  • Bereaved of a baby, toddler or very young child - 13 April

  • Bereaved by cancer or long term illness - 15 April

  • Bereaved by suicide - 22 April

  • Bereaved of a school age child (5-16 years of age) - 28 April


The next groups for bereaved adult siblings (18 yrs+) are on 23 March and 21 April

More details of other specialist online support groups running during May 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.
Editor: SIBBS Newsletter

An exciting volunteer opportunity has arisen for a bereaved sibling to step into the role of Editor of the SIBBS Newsletter, produced by The Compassionate Friends.

The newsletter is a publication created for bereaved siblings to share their experiences of grief and beyond and to pay tribute to beloved brothers and sisters. It also features relevant news from The Compassionate Friends along with content that is helpful, inspiring and encouraging for those on this particular grief journey.
Could you sponsor a leaflet?
We're looking for sponsors for...
Grieving Child Loss in Blended and Step Families
A Sibling's Grief
Sponsorship costs £350 and you can include a dedication message on the leaflet.

Often dedications are made in memory of a child or loved one. It can be a lovely way to honour their memory by sponsoring a supportive leaflet.

Please email for more details of how to sponsor these and other titles to be published later this year.
My Champion Me...Let's Talk Self-Compassion
Now available to listen again. Dr Sangeeta Mahajan on grief, loss and self-compassion.

"Sangeeta represents a beacon of light and hope to those of us on our bereavement journey".

"(I) feel a blanket of warmth & hope around my shoulders to help me face the future without my boy".

"... moving and insightful...it was an honour to hear her speak".
Help us to offer peer support
Volunteer with TCF

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.
People volunteer for many different reasons, but at TCF most bereaved parents and siblings tell us they want to volunteer because they want to 'give something back'; they remember the support they received when they needed it.

We are currently looking for parents bereaved more than 3 years for roles as support group facilitators and local support contacts, particularly in or near the following areas cities, towns and regions

* Sheffield * Manchester * Wigan * Liverpool * Norwich * Preston * Blackpool * Rotherham * Plymouth * Exeter * Hull * Grimsby * Lincoln * Loughborough * Leicester * Coventry * Grantham * Peterborough * Lowestoft * Cambridge * Ely * Stevenage * Luton * St Albans * Ipswich * Aylesbury * Dover * Canterbury * Maidstone * Taunton * Barnstaple * Carlisle * Dumfries * Perth * Dundee * Aberdeen * Inverness * Wales * Northern Ireland

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

Our next information and training day for prospective support group facilitators will be run online over two Saturday morning sessions on 5 and 12 June. To reserve a space please email us.


Other volunteer roles are also available including grief companion, offering support to one newly bereaved parent anywhere in the UK and as a volunteer in our Helpline team.

Join TCF

Join our charity as a supporting/donating member. Help us to continue to help bereaved parents and their families, plus receive your copy of our bereavement support publications 4 times a year...

  • Compassion
  • SIBBS Newsletter (for bereaved siblings 18 years+)
  • Childless Parents News
  • TCF News - with news and info from around our charity


Shopping online? Shop AmazonSmile and Amazon donates to The Compassionate Friends, at no cost to you.
For more information on support and services for bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents see our website at the buttons below.