Campaign to extend bereavement support payments: Sophie’s story
July 2024
When Sophie’s husband Paul died in 2023, she was 17 weeks pregnant. She received the first of 18 monthly instalments of Bereavement Support Payment before her daughter Poppy was born to help her cope with the financial shock of her bereavement. But these vital payments are due to stop just before Christmas this year. Here is Sophie’s story…

“When I was 25 and 17 weeks pregnant, my husband Paul was killed on his way to work. He was involved in a collision with an HGV. I have not only lost my husband but everything I thought my future would be, and a father for my daughter, Poppy.
I currently rely heavily on my Bereavement Support Payments. This allows me to do the obvious things like pay bills, buy nappies etc but also to attend baby groups, to socialise and meet other people. It can feel so lonely and overwhelming suddenly being a widowed first-time parent.
Without this financial support, I’m not sure if I will be able to continue doing these things. I’m also not sure I will be able to pay for trauma bereavement specific bereavement counselling, which is currently vital to my grief processing.
At the moment, I’m on maternity leave and working out how I will be able to go back to work. Childcare costs would be more expensive than my full-time wage. My Bereavement Support Payments stop in December, just before Christmas and just after Poppy’s first birthday…
Eighteen months of support just isn’t long enough! My financial situation won’t have changed in that time. If Paul had died before the Government cut the payments in April 2017, I would potentially have received payments until Poppy finished full-time education, which would have helped me get back on my feet financially.
These payments are based on Paul’s National Insurance contributions – they are basically the pension that he never got to draw down… It is so sad for me and for Poppy that we won’t be receiving support beyond her first birthday…
If Paul and I had divorced, legally would have had contributions from Paul until Poppy was 18 – as widows, we just don’t have that backup. I feel completely abandoned."
Sophie shared her story on BBC Radio 4's Money Box show on Saturday, 27 July at the following link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021h43 (around 20 minutes into the show).
Please help us to stand up for bereaved families like Sophie’s by writing to your MP using this template letter!

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