Campaign by Story
Support Their Journey: Helping Bereaved Children and Young People Get Back on Their Feet
Every step our runners take in the London Marathon helps a bereaved child or young person find their footing again. Since 2004, Slide Away has been supporting children and young people from across Kent and Medway who have experienced the death of someone they love. Your donation will help us to ensure that no child has to face their grief alone.
Why Support Slide Away?
In the UK, a child is bereaved of a parent every 22 minutes. That's 23,600 children each year facing one of life's most difficult challenges. In Kent alone, many hundreds of children are trying to navigate the complex emotions of grief without adequate support.
Slide Away provides that crucial support through:
* Therapeutic workshops where children can express their feelings, tell their stories, and hold onto precious memories
* Specialised support days for children who have lost a sibling or who are facing Mother's Day or Father's Day and Christmas without their loved one
* Support for families, helping them to understand their child’s grief and communicate more effectively
* Discounted one-to-one counselling providing tailored support for children needing additional help with their grief journey
* Free access to ‘Project Eileen’, which offers flexible, multimedia and cross-curricular lesson plans and resources to secondary schools to help teenagers learn about and cope with bereavement and grief
* Guidance for schools that are supporting children who are living with a family member with a life-limiting illness
* British Psychological Society approved training for school staff so they can support their bereaved pupils with greater knowledge and confidence
We always receive very positive feedback from the families we refer to Slide Away. We are just grateful that you are there. (A Slide Away School Bereavement contact)
The Impact of Your Donation
It costs Slide Away approximately £300 to support each child or young person referred, a cost which includes the training, advice and guidance we provide to their schools, and the support we provide to their family.
£10 could provide workshop crafting materials and a snowy bear for 1 child.
£25 could fund refreshments for families connecting at a workshop.
£50 could buy special books and photo frames for 5 children at a workshop.
£100 could fund professional development for 3 teachers supporting bereaved children
£300 could cover the cost of supporting 1 child, their family and their school through the child’s grief journey.
How Slide Away Helps
Slide Away’s therapeutic workshops provide a safe and caring environment that offers children the opportunity, time and space to:
*Meet other children of a similar age who have been bereaved
*Express and understand their thoughts and feelings
*Be listened to and understood
*Tell their story
*Hold onto their memories
*Find permission to grieve, but also to have fun
*Find coping strategies, build resilience and find confidence in their future
*Slide Away also works with the child’s parent or carer in workshops. In this way we help them to:
*Understand their child’s grief and support their grief reactions.
*Communicate with their child about their loss.
*Experience one of their child’s workshop activities.
*Know that they are not alone.
*Meet and form new communities with other bereaved parents
We had a really lovely day at Slide Away. Everybody was so friendly and understanding. The activities were very well thought out and very accessible to children of all ages and abilities. They allowed us to talk openly and happily about the person we were thinking of, my mum.’ Lots of happy, fun, lovely memories came to us and we were able to talk with a smile on our faces. We keep the bubbles and bubble blower by the bedroom window and my daughter now blows bubbles and talks to Grannie on the nights she needs to before bed.
Join Our Marathon Journey
In 2025, our amazing runner, Luke Myers, raised more than £2,200 for Slide Away by completing the London Marathon. In 2026, we have TWO new dedicated runners taking on this incredible challenge.
Every mile they run and every pound you donate helps a child adjust to a life that has changed.
Support our runners and the children of Kent and Medway by donating today. Together, we can ensure that no child has to face their grief alone.