Campaigning News

“I want my baby to know who his dad was”: Mae’s fight to fill the Blank Space

Feb 2026

WAY member Mae explains why she is supporting our Blank Space campaign

Progress on our Blank Space campaign: Some promising words from Government officials

Feb 2026

We have received some promising news from Government officials in response to our Blank Space campaign, but there’s still work to be done. Read more…

Bringing our Blank Space campaign to Scotland

Jan 2026

WAY is bringing our Blank Space campaign to Scotland to help bereaved mothers navigate a complex and unfair process – and to call for change.

Bereavement support “shockingly inadequate”: WAY member’s plea to Chancellor Reeves

Jan 2026

WAY member Caroline’s household income dropped by 75% overnight when her husband died of cancer last year, leaving her to raise two teenage children on her own.

Blank Space campaign in Scotland: Karen’s story

Jan 2026

Scottish WAY member Karen shares why she is supporting WAY’s Blank Space campaign…

Blank Space: Sophie’s struggle to register her baby’s birth

Jun 2025

On Tuesday, 17 June, Sophie’s experiences were shared in Parliament by MP Jen Craft as part of her Ten Minute Rule Bill to close the Blank Space faced by some bereaved mothers trying to register their…

Campaigning for change: Democracy in action

Apr 2025

WAY trustee Gary explains how emailing his MP has helped to open doors for WAY’s Stand Up for Bereaved Families campaign.

Fighting for fairness: Battle for backdated bereavement support reaches European Court of Human Rights

Feb 2025

Two bereaved parents are taking their fight for equal bereavement benefits for cohabiting couples all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. Here’s their story…

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…

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.

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 …

WAY calls on the new Government to stand up for bereaved families

Jul 2024

The charity WAY Widowed and Young has written to the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall asking for her urgent support for bereaved families, whose needs have been overlooked in r…

Campaign to extend bereavement support payments: Sophie’s story

Jul 2024

When Sophie’s husband Paul died in 2023, she was 17 weeks pregnant. Her Bereavement Support Payments are due to stop just after her baby turns one. Here is Sophie’s story…

Urgent: Deadline for retrospective bereavement benefits

Jan 2024

Deadline for cohabiting parents to claim full retrospective bereavement benefits closing soon - find details...

Joby's Story

Jun 2023

Joby writes how the recent change in the law to extend bereavement support to parents who weren’t married or in a civil partnership has impacted her…

Ian's Story: Challenging National Insurance discrimination

Apr 2023

When he was widowed to Covid-19 in 2020, WAY volunteer Ian from Coventry was shocked to hear that his family wasn’t entitled to Bereavement Support Payments either, because – like Suzzi – his wife had…

Extending Bereavement Support Payments: Lauren’s story

Mar 2023

When Lauren’s husband Rob died last June, she started to receive the first of 18 monthly instalments of Bereavement Support Payment to help support herself and her daughter, Amelia. Although she was g…

Siobhan's Story: Cohabiting Couples Campaign

Feb 2023

When Siobhan discovered through conversations with Citizen’s Advice that parents who were not married or in a civil partnership were unable to claim the support available at that time to married paren…

Kathy's Story: Cohabiting Couples Campaign

Feb 2023

WAY Ambassador Kathy Ford lost her partner Keith in November 2018 to a sudden heart attack. They had been together for 19 years and had two sons together. In June 2019, Kathy gave evidence to the Work…

Elanor shares her story to support our Cohabiting Couples Campaign

Feb 2023

Elanor’s partner Robin died in 2005 after a motorbike accident. She was pregnant with their only daughter Sophie when Robin died and has struggled for the past 17 years to bring up Sophie as a lone pa…

At WAY we pride ourselves on providing support, free of judgement, to anyone who is facing widowhood at a young age. We are also committed to fighting injustices that young widowed people may face.