Crematorium donation to help bereaved children

A charity that provides support to bereaved children across North Worcestershire has received an incredible donation to continue helping young people deal with the loss of their loved ones.

Thanks to Redditch Crematorium, Touchstones Child Bereavement Support will shortly be receiving a £12k funding boost to continue their amazing work with local young people.

Touchstones Child Bereavement Support was nominated by Redditch Crematorium to receive the funding as part of the ICCM’s (Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management) metal recycling scheme in which families give their permission for residual metals – such as in replacement hips – to be recycled at the crematorium via the nationally recognised ICCM scheme. Money raised from the recycling process is then donated to charity.

Touchstones will use the money from the recycling scheme to continue to support bereaved children and young people across North Worcestershire including Redditch, Bromsgrove, Wythall, Rubery, and Hagley. Touchstones is a small, local charity with one very simple aim: to be there for any bereaved child and young person. They deliver a free programme of support for anyone between the ages 5 and 21 and are also there to offer support to their families when someone close dies.

Additionally, Touchstones advise families and schools on how to support children and young people through bereavement, including pre-school children who are best supported by their own family. They also offer advice and support to schools in the event of a sudden death in the school community, offer training packages tailored to the needs of individual schools and participate in university research initiatives to improve counselling of bereaved children and young people.

Rob Quarton, Director at Touchstones, said: “For over 11 years Touchstones has been privileged to provide bereavement counselling support to any child or young person in Redditch and Bromsgrove who has lost a mum, dad, brother, sister, grandparent, friend, or any other significant person. We work with around 150 children each year, and since our support is offered without cost, we totally rely on fundraising and donations to enable us to continue. The support we receive from both the ICCM and Redditch Borough Council, has and continues to be, a significant and valued enabler of all we do, and we are so immensely grateful for this latest, incredible donation.”

Leader of the Council, Cllr Matt Dormer, said: “A huge thanks go to Touchstones for providing this incredible and selfless support service. We are proud to nominate them to receive this money so that they can continue supporting our younger residents.

“Grief is difficult for an adult to process, but for a child it can have such a significant impact on their mental wellbeing and future development if left unchecked. It is comforting to know that Touchstones will be able to continue supporting children and young people as a result of this funding.”

For more information about Touchstones or to request support for yourself or a loved one, go to https://touchstones-support.org.uk/, call 07547 367267 or email info@touchstones-support.org.uk