Bereavement Support News

Bridget Jones as a young widow: A WAY member’s review of Mad About the Boy

Feb 2025

To mark the launch of the new Bridget Jones movie that shows Bridget as a young widow, we asked Scottish WAY member Alison to preview it for us…

Reflections on love, loss and happily ever after

Feb 2025

Ahead of the launch of the new Bridget Jones movie this Valentine’s Day eve, WAY Ambassador Emma Charlesworth shares her thoughts on love, loss, judgement – and ‘living happily ever after’ – five year…

LGBT+ History Month: Queer widowhood then and now

Feb 2025

As well as being a time for looking back, LGBT+ History Month is a time for examining where we are now and for looking forward. WAY volunteer Suzanne delved into the Switchboard LGBT+ archives and fou…

Ways to cope with anniversaries, birthdays and special days when supporting a bereaved child

Feb 2025

With special dates like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day coming up, our friends at the childhood bereavement charity Winston’s Wish share some tips on supporting bereaved children through significant …

Bereavement Support Payments: A lifeline for Stacey on Valentine’s Day

Feb 2025

On the two year anniversary of bereavement benefits being extended to cohabiting parents, we talk to WAY member Stacey about the difference the payments have made…

Reimagining your world: Finding rainbows through the storm

Jan 2025

WAY Widowed and Young Ambassador Emma Gray shares how she weathered the storms after she was widowed at a young age, finding light in the darkness as she navigated her bereavement…

LGBT+ History Month: Standing up for LGBT+ rights

Jan 2025

For LGBT+ History Month, we share the story of WAY Widowed and Young member Andrew, who campaigned for same-sex marriage and was able to marry his partner, Jerry, before he died at the age of 30.

Marking LGBT+ History Month

Jan 2025

WAY Widowed and Young is marking LGBT+ History Month with a series of stories and activities reflecting on the histories and experiences of LGBTQIA+ members as they have navigated their bereavement.

Volunteering with WAY in 2024

Jan 2025

As we enter 2025, WAY has almost 200 formal volunteers who have stepped forward to help support the charity and our members in a variety of different ways.

How to navigate a New Year after bereavement: Tips from Winston’s Wish

Jan 2025

Our friends at the childhood bereavement charity Winston’s Wish share ways in which widowed parents can support children and young people to navigate their grief into the New Year and beyond.

When Bereavement Support Payments stop: Widowed mum left with £50 a month

Jan 2025

After her husband died, Sophie relied on Bereavement Support Payments to survive. Now payments have stopped, leaving the widowed mum struggling to make ends meet.

WAY Holidays: Looking back on 2024

Jan 2025

Throughout the year, the WAY Operations Team organises a number of weekend breaks across the country that all WAY members can attend. 2024 was no exception…

Beating Blue Monday

Jan 2025

January can be especially hard for grievers, with all the focus on new starts and a new year that we are acutely aware our loved one is not a part of.

Tips for beating the winter blues

Jan 2025

WAY volunteer and blogger Suzanne shares her tips for getting through the cold winter months when you’ve been widowed.

Hannah’s haircut in memory of Mum

Jan 2025

At just 11 years old, Hannah is proving that age is no barrier when it comes to making an impact.

Sophie’s first year as a young widowed Mum: Reflecting on loss, love and new traditions

Dec 2024

WAY member Sophie was 17 weeks pregnant when her husband Paul tragically died in a road traffic accident. Now, over a year on, Sophie reflects on how she’s creating new traditions for herself and her …

Standing up for bereaved families: Catherine’s story

Dec 2024

WAY member Catherine recently spoke to the co-leader of the Green Party Carla Denyer about the need to extend Bereavement Support Payments…

Coping with Christmas: Rebecca’s story

Dec 2024

WAY member Rebecca, who set up the subgroup WAY WOCS for WAY members without children – shares how she copes with Christmas…

Coping with Christmas: Tips from WAY members

Dec 2024

Members of WAY share their tips on coping with Christmas when you’ve been widowed young…

Finding light in the darkness: Nicola’s story

Dec 2024

WAY member Nicola lost her husband Dave to cancer six years ago, when she was 38. He was Christian and she is Jewish. She talks about navigating interfaith differences in life and in death – and as Ha…

Unfortunately, there’s no guide book for grief. Everyone is different, and no two people will experience grieving in the same way. From numbness to anger, from disbelief to guilt, there’s no set pattern to the grieving process, especially when you’ve been widowed at a young age.