Winston’s Wish is delighted to be partnering with Teapot Trust, a mental health charity that provides support and improves the lives of children living with chronic health conditions through art therapy. Together, the charities will signpost children and young people to one another’s services and provide mutual training for staff from both organisations. This will make sure children and young people are able to access the right support at the right time.  

Members of Teapot Trust Young Voices highlighted the complexity of living with chronic illness and grief. It was noted that little support and information currently exists about this so this partnership aims to change that, putting the voices of young people at the centre and developing a ‘toolbox’ of accessible and relevant tools. 

Excitingly young ambassadors and volunteers from Winston’s Wish and Teapot Trust will work together to co-produce a resource aimed at helping children living with chronic illnesses deal with grief and bereavement. 

Ally Lloyd, Teapot Trust Young Voices Participation Officer comments, “As a charity supporting the mental health of children and young people living with chronic illness, we see the complex ways in which bereavement affects, and is affected by, living with a chronic illness. Living with a chronic illness can affect the way a young person is able to grieve and access support.  

“Bereavement and grieving can be very physical experiences that can lead to flare-ups and worsen symptoms for folk living with a chronic illness. As individuals, families, friendship groups, and communities, young people have (through necessity) worked out how best to manage this. This project is a supportive space to bring these experiences, learnings, and questions together. Together, as Winston Wish’s Youth Team and Teapot Trust’s Young Voices, we can better understand the complexities of chronic illness and bereavement and take the first steps to making that experience easier for others.” 

“It’s so exciting to begin this partnership with Teapot Trust to combine the very real experiences of being bereaved whilst living with a chronic illness. The concept for this project came from the young people themselves, wanting to make sure others were supported and recognised in their experience, and it is these voices that will drive and develop the partnership.”

 

Fenella Prior-Smith, Head of Youth Participation at Winston’s Wish

The partnership will draw upon the lived experiences of young people from Winston’s Wish and Teapot Trust.  

Amber, Teapot Trust Young Voices Volunteer, comments, “I’m really looking forward to working on such an important, needed project. Chronic illness and bereavement are incredibly complicated. Not only can it impact the way you are able to grieve loved ones, but it also exposes you to unique kinds of grief like having people you know with similar conditions to you die or witnessing deaths whilst admitted to hospital. It’s an area that currently doesn’t feel very well-resourced or understood, so I hope this collaboration between Winston’s Wish and Teapot Trust can start the conversation and begin to fill the gap in resources.” 

Winston’s Wish Youth Ambassador Eden, 21, comments, “I wanted to get involved as I feel it is important for those of us with chronic illness to share our views on how grief affects us as sometimes it can be even harder especially if we aren’t able to distract ourselves by taking part in hobbies, socialising, etc due to limited energy so think it’s important our voices and experiences are represented and I’m looking forward to making a difference.” 

True to the charity’s vision that no child is left to grieve alone, Winston’s Wish is keen to ensure its services are visible to grieving children and young people throughout the UK and is committed to reaching those with additional needs and disabilities.  

Winston’s Wish is delighted to partner with Teapot Trust and is looking forward to creating this specialised resource following the launch of this meaningful co-production project. 

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