The death of a grandparent is often a child or young person’s first encounter with the death of someone important. Parents have a great deal to manage when their own parent or carer dies. There is the grief associated with their own loss, but also the reactions and responses of their children to the death of a grandparent. Short films delivered by our support practitioners giving guidance on a range of bereavement topics. Published in 1984, Susan Varley set out to write something that might help others, having experienced the death of her own grandmother. Since then, the beautifully illustrated, sensitive and accessible story, gently exploring grief and loss, has aided parents, teachers and grandparents alike in starting conversations with young children about death of any kind. Claire was supported by Child Bereavement UK in Edinburgh after her son Jamie died aged 10 from Covid-19. The agony of losing a child of any age is unparalleled. There is no age or point in time that makes it any easier. No parent expects to face the death of their child and no grandparent expects to lose their grandchild.

Education Shed Ltd, Severn House, Severn Bridge, Riverside North, Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK, DY12 1AB Badger's Parting Gifts' by Susan Varley is a classic, touching and moving tale of loss and friendship, Badger’s Parting Gifts provides comfort to children who may have lost a loved one and explains that grief can eventually give way to happy memories. The idea for the story came from one of Susan Varley’s final year projects at Manchester Polytechnic. She had drawn a character of a badger and her tutor encouraged her to write a story about a badger who dies. Her grandmother had died the previous year, so the story idea resonated with her. It is important to tell a child of any age when someone important in their lives has died, and ideally this is done by someone who is closest to them.

Books Multibuys

A gentle book about loss and grief and the importance sharing memories. It is often used to help bereaved children talk about how they are feeling. Celebrating the 35th anniversary of this quintessential and multi-award-winning picture book about losing a loved one.

Child Bereavement UK have partnered with publisher Andersen Press to provide information and guidance for adults using Susan Varley’s much-loved picture book Badger’s Parting Gifts to help children understand and talk about death. Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they show it in different ways. Find out how you can help them and more about child grieving.A parent of children under 18 dies every 22 minutes in the UK; around 23,600 a year. This equates to around 111 children being bereaved of a parent every day. Sign up to our newsletter and connect with us on social media to keep up to date with our latest news, activities and services. We'll never sell or swap your details with anybody else. You are free to change your mind at anytime. Sign up to our newsletter The new, 35 th anniversary edition of the book features a reading guide from Child Bereavement UK that provides tips for reading Badger’s Parting Gifts with children and helping them better understand grief. This Trustees' Week, we ask Lorna Ireland of our Board of Trustees why she became involved in supporting our work and what she's gained.