Standing up for bereaved families: Catherine’s story

December 2024

WAY member Catherine has been standing up for bereaved parents by visiting her constituency MP Carla Denyer (who is co-leader of the Green Party) to explain why Bereavement Support Payments need to be extended beyond 18 months.

“Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with my local MP Carla Denyer – co-leader of the Green Party – about the urgent need to reform Bereavement Support Payments (BSPs). I first reached out to her shortly after her election win in our Bristol Central constituency, drawing on a template letter provided by WAY’s campaign while also sharing my own story. I was encouraged that her reply showed that she had really taken on board the injustice of the current situation.

Some weeks later, after WAY had sent Carla a briefing on the issue, I contacted her office to arrange a face-to-face meeting. WAY helpfully sent me additional resources to help me prepare. On the eve of our scheduled meeting, a dramatic ‘red’ weather warning buzzed through everyone’s phones in Bristol, prompting us to move the discussion online. Despite the shift, it was fantastic to see her and her assistant on my laptop screen and to spend around 20 minutes chatting about such an important issue.

She was genuinely interested to find out about the cuts to BSP made by the last government and told me about her plans to take this forward and perhaps work in collaboration with other MPs to campaign directly for improvements in support for bereaved families.

What struck me most about this experience was how straightforward it is. All MPs can be emailed, and all hold regular casework surgeries, which are advertised on their websites. 

Before I contacted her, Carla had no knowledge of the issues surrounding BSP.  I felt it was a real privilege to be able to speak to her about bereavement and the challenges it brings emotionally and financially, and to share with her some of what I’ve learnt from the sadnesses of the last couple of years since I lost my husband Richard. I am hopeful that she will take this forward now.”

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