Two child bereavement charities have announced plans to merge.
Winston’s Wish is to join forces with Child Bereavement UK. Both support bereaved children, young people, parents and families.
The charities said the merger would bring together their missions to ensure no child, young person or bereaved parent has to face their grief alone.
The details of the merger have not been finalised but the intention is that Child Bereavement UK will merge into Winston’s Wish, the charities said.
The newly merged organisation will go under the name Child Bereavement UK. Fergus Crow, who has been the chief executive of Winston’s Wish since 2015, will lead the charity.
Ann Chalmers, former chief executive of Child Bereavement UK, retired in September after 21 years in the role.
It is estimated that the merger will take between six and nine months to complete, with the intention being to launch the new charity next spring, the charities said.
Crow said: “Following a strict due diligence process, with independent support from charity merger specialists Eastside People, it has been deemed that the financial benefits of merging are significant and the case for both organisations coming together is very strong.
“A new board will be formed from the existing trustees of both charities.
“For the first 12 to 18 months after the merger, Alex Fitzgibbons (chair of Child Bereavement UK) and Liz Gratton (chair of Winston’s Wish) will co-chair the new board.
“After that initial period, the substantive chair role will pass to Liz Gratton.”
Winston’s Wish and Child Bereavement UK have more than 120 employees collectively.
Child Bereavement UK recorded an income of £3.9m, according to its accounts for the year to the end of August 2023, while Winston’s Wish recorded an income of £2.5m for the year to the end of March 2024.
Gratton said: “Combining our expertise, networks and resources to address issues with greater impact and efficiency will allow us to deliver new projects, expand reach and serve a broader demographic of bereaved communities that neither organisation could achieve alone.”
The merger is a strategic partnership built on a vision of growth, expansion and opportunity, Fitzgibbons said.
“Together, we can reach further, giving a stronger voice to bereaved children, young people, parents and families across the UK,” he added.
Prince William, the Prince of Wales, has been Child Bereavement UK’s royal patron since 2009 and will retain his role.
“In my 16 years as patron of Child Bereavement UK I have seen the life-changing impact of their work and how the support, care and compassion provided protects the long-term health and wellbeing of those living with loss,” he said.
“I have also seen the growing need for support of this kind, and it is because of this increasing demand that I am delighted that Child Bereavement UK and Winston’s Wish are joining forces to expand their impact.
“They have recognised that together they can do so much more, and I commend them both for taking this bold step to reach more people and help to reduce the long-term challenges that unresolved grief can cause.”