From grief to the Great North Swim: Louise’s story

May 2026

When Louise’s husband died suddenly in 2017, her world changed overnight. Left grieving while raising two children, Louise found comfort and connection through WAY Widowed and Young – and now, nearly nine years later, she is preparing to take on a 5km swim challenge in Lake Windermere to give something back to the charity that supported her through her darkest days…

“In March 2017, my husband Phil went to play tennis and suffered a cardiac arrest. After a rollercoaster two weeks in hospital, he sadly passed away in April 2017 at just 46 years old, just as the medical team believed he was beginning to recover. 

In an instant, life changed forever for me and our children, Will and Hattie. We were left with a huge, unfillable hole – the loss of an incredible husband, father, son, brother and friend. It wasn’t only Phil we missed so desperately, but the life we had built together and the future we had imagined. Everything felt different and the world seemed unbearably unfair and cruel.

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Just two weeks after Phil died, Louise joined WAY, searching for support and understanding from people who truly understood what she was going through.

“I felt completely lost and needed support to navigate this new reality – a way to feel less alone,” she says. “In my darkest days, WAY provided a lifeline. Through peer support, I connected with others who truly understood, people who simply ‘got it’, without judgement or expectation. They didn’t get upset when I needed to cancel plans at the last minute; they didn’t get frustrated when I forgot and they didn’t get uncomfortable when I cried. Through WAY U have made lifelong friends and found strength in both receiving and giving support.”

Over time, the support Louise received through WAY became something she wanted to give back to others. She volunteered as an Area Contact for two years, helping new members find connection, before stepping back after Covid restrictions were lifted.

At the time Phil died, Louise was working full time as a senior leader in a primary school while raising her children, who were then aged seven and 16. In the years since, she has rebuilt her life step by step, retraining as a play therapist and completing her MSc in 2023, driven by a desire to support others through their own challenges and trauma.

More recently, Louise has discovered another passion.

“In July 2025, I discovered wild swimming and have continued throughout the winter,” she says. “It has become a powerful way to care for myself – something easily overlooked as a solo parent. I can find it hard to prioritise myself.”

Now Louise is preparing to take on the Great North Swim in June, where she will swim 5km in the beautiful surroundings of Lake Windermere to raise money for WAY and support other young widowed people facing life after loss.

“I am both nervous and excited to take on a 5km swim challenge to give back to the charity that has supported me so deeply over the past nine years,” she says.