The Good Grief Trust exists to help all those affected by grief in the UK. Our vision is to help those bereaved from day one, acknowledge their grief and provide reassurance, a virtual hand of friendship and ongoing support.
We bring bereavement services together, to ensure that everyone receives the tailored support they need to move forward with their lives.
- With approx 650,000 deaths in the UK every year, at some time in our lives ALL of us will be affected by grief and none of us know how we will react to the death of someone close until it happens.
- Run by the bereaved, for the bereaved, we aim to normalise grief and raise awareness of the impact of grief on a national platform.
- We aim to encourage talking about grief in a more honest, straightforward way, help to make the pain a little more bearable for those at the early stages and offer inspiration and hope to the bereaved further along their own grief ‘journey’.
Linda Magistris – Our Founder
Why I set up The Good Grief Trust
"I lost my partner Graham to a rare cancer, a soft tissue sarcoma, on September 2nd 2014.
We found each other again, 30 years after we first met when we worked together in TV back in the late 70's. I was a child actress playing Susi, one of the original characters, in the BBC children's programme Grange Hill and Graham was our Director.
We spent the following 8 years together; he was my best friend, the man who made me laugh more than anyone else, the man who drove me to complete despair at times, the man I loved being with, and who made my heart flutter when I saw him, even after all those years, and I miss him like crazy every day.
Losing Graham changed my whole world. In the early days I felt lost and alone and often completely disconnected with day to day life. Grief can be utterly debilitating and I literally felt as if I was going mad. The reality of death has been very hard to accept and has affected me deeply, but that's not a bad thing. I am a different person now, I don't have much patience for the nonsense in life anymore, but what I do have is great deal more patience and empathy for anyone who is struggling.
I want to ensure that no-one has to suffer unnecessarily because they cannot access the support that is right for them, at a time they need it most.
Please visit our GoFundme page for more information on why I set up the charity
Linda
Linda Magistris CEO and Founder of The Good Grief Trust received the honour of being awarded the 'Points of Light' Award from 10 Downing Street.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May; “from a devastating personal tragedy you have created a tremendous force for good. The Good Grief Trust is providing vital resources for people experiencing bereavement, offering comfort, practical support and the knowledge that they are not alone.”
Do you need to speak to someone now?
24 HOUR SUPPORT LINES
| Samaritans | 116 123 (UK) | For anyone at anytime for any reason |
| Childline | 0800 1111 | Support for 18yrs & under and their relatives |
| Silverline | 0800 470 8090 | Support for the over 50's |
DAY/EVENING SUPPORT LINES
| National Bereavement Partnership Helpline | 0800 448 0800 | 7am and 10pm for emotional support. |
| Cruse | 0808 808 1677 | Nationwide bereavement support |
| Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland | 0808 802 6161 | Mon - Fri 9am-8pm and Sat/Sun 1-4pm |
| Child Bereavement UK | 0800 02 88840 | Helpline (9 - 5pm) |
| Child Death Helpline | 0800 282 986 0808 800 6019 | Every evening 7-10pm Mon/Thurs / Fri - 10am - 1pm Tues/Wed - 10am - 4pm |
| Grief Talk | 0808 802 0111 | Support for anyone to Grieftalk from any phone for free Monday to Friday 9am - 9pm Have a 1-2-1 CHAT live session with a Grieftalk counsellor |
| Bereavement Advice Centre | 0800 634 9494 | Practical advice (9 - 5pm) |
| Bereavement Trust | 0800 435 455 | Emotional and practical advice (6 - 10pm) |
| DrugFam | 0300 888 3853 | Drug and Alcohol addiction The helpline line is available between 9am and 9pm seven days a week. |
| Sands | 0808 164 3332 | 10am-3pm Mon to Fri daytimes and 6pm-9pm Tues to Thurs evenings Free confidential helpline for anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby. |
| Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide | 0300 111 5065 | 9am-9pm every day |
| Breathing space Scotland Helpline for when it becomes difficult to cope | 0800 838587 | Monday to Thursday - 6pm - 2am Friday 6pm - 6am |
| The Compassionate Friends | 0345 123 2304 | Open every day 10 am – 4 pm, 7-10 pm |
| The Lullaby Trust | 0808 802 6868 | Monday - Friday, 10 am – 5 pm |
| Marie Curie | 0800 090 2309 | Open Monday - Friday, 8am – 6pm Open Saturday, 11am – 5pm on Saturday Practical and clinical information and support on all aspects of end of life and bereavement. |
| The Greater Manchester Suicide Bereavement Information Service
| 0161 983 0700 | Open Monday – Friday, 10am-4pm |
Find local support
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