Bereavement charity raises £60,000 in Finchley (From Times Series)

Bereavement charity raises £60,000 in Finchley

9:00am Saturday 2nd May 2009 in Advanced search By Rebecca Lowe

A CHILD bereavement charity raised £60,000 at a comedy night in North Finchley last week.

The Grief Encounter Project raised the money at a sell-out comedy evening last Saturday at the artsdepot, in Ballards Lane.

Four hundred people watched award-winning comedians including Terry Alderton, Mike Gunn, Boothby Graffoe and Geoff Whiting to help support the charity, which helps bereaved children, young people and their families after the death of a parent or sibling.

The money will go towards one-to-one counselling, grief workshops where children meet others in the same position as themselves, bespoke support and fun days for the children.

Shelley Gilbert, director of Grief Encounter, said: “We do not receive any Government funding so we rely solely on public donations. Demand has exceeded supply for our services with over 200 children currently being seen and another 50 on the waiting list.

“Our aim is that every child that needs bereavement support should receive it. The money raised will help us to ensure children’s pain does not go unacknowledged and unresolved after the death of a loved one.”

Grief Encounter patron Kevin Wells, whose daughter Holly was murdered in Soham in 2002, spoke at the event.

He said: “As an adult, nothing can prepare you for the shock of losing a family loved one, under any circumstances. But, what about the children left behind, suddenly facing an unimaginable change to their lives?

“My wife and I could have wept tears of joy and relief when we heard that the Grief Encounter Project existed and helped us understand that we all did have a future without Holly.

“As a family we now have the freedom to say that life will ever be the same. We understand that grief is a lifetime’s journey, not to be measured in days, weeks or months but years.

“Every half an hour a child loses a parent somewhere in the UK. That figure does not take into consideration children, like my own son, who lost a sibling, or those that lose others close and significant from their lives.”

Grief Encounter is seeking qualified counsellors in the area who have experience working with children and young people. Anyone interested should send their CV to Shelley Gilbert, PO Box 49701, London, N20 8XJ.