The Compassionate Friends
Charity of the Month
About The Compassionate Friends
The Compassionate Friends (TCF) was founded over 50 years ago when two families grieving the death of their child came together. They realised that although surrounded by friends and family the only people that really understood what they were going through were other bereaved parents. We help bereaved parents and adult brothers and sisters by providing a daily helpline, support groups nationwide, regular retreats and some one to one support.
Many people who have suffered the loss of a child feel a bond with others in the same situation and wish to extend the hand of friendship. TCF offer support, both directly to bereaved families, and indirectly by fostering understanding and good practice amongst professionals concerned with child death and by increasing public awareness.
In TCF, “family” covers a broad spectrum of relationships. TCF aim to help any individual or family affected by the death of a child, including unmarried partners, adoptive parents, step families, same sex couples and single parent families.
Bereaved parent volunteers offer a listening ear and support. TCF also provide bursaries for those who may not be able to afford to go on retreats due to their circumstances.
The Compassionate Friends' Challenges
As with a lot of charities it is difficult to recruit volunteers at the moment due to the cost of living crisis. Their usual number of fundraisers is slightly down on what they’d expect although they are working hard signing up for marathons, 10k runs, swims and cycles. The Compassionate Friends also have their own fundraiser, the TCF 2.5 Challenge in May. Due to an awareness-raising campaign and incidents involving child death in the news they have noticed an increase in parents seeking support.
The Compassionate Friends' Achievements / Goals
TCF has recently run an awareness campaign which was to help those affected by child loss to know where to turn. It made those who access their services feel less alone as their experiences were reflected on posters around the country. This led to more calls to their helpline and information leaflet requests. They responded by putting on another support weekend this year for newly bereaved parents and siblings.
Find out more about The Compassionate Friends’ upcoming events to raise awareness and donations for the charity.
The Compassionate Friends' Social Channels
Check out The Compassionate Friends’ social media channels below!