Spofforths recently visited Winston’s Wish, the leading childhood bereavement charity, to find out how the Sussex accountancy firm’s latest donation will be put to good use.  Adrian Pearce,  Spofforths Marketing Partner, met the team based at the charity’s new Horsham office on Springfield Road and enjoyed a tour of the facilities.  He confirmed that £730 was raised for the charity during a collection, held at Spofforths Olympic event in December.  Events Fundraiser Debbie Brown and Family Services Team Leader Cate Masheder were delighted to receive the funds.

Spofforths decided to support Winston’s Wish as the number of children being referred to the charity is increasing each year.  Funds are required to ensure support is available to bereaved children, young people and their families.  Adrian was able to see the family room, where children receive counselling, and also hear about the therapeutic services provided.  

Events Fundraiser Debbie Brown commented: “Winston’s Wish is proud to have received support from the guests at Spofforth’s ‘Olympic evening’. We are delighted that £730 was raised on the night, this money will allow us to fund four face-to-face sessions for a child and their family with two of our specialist family practitioners and will enable us to man our national Helpline for a day. We rely on kind and generous donations like these to reach over 30,000 bereaved children and young people every year.”

Family Services Team Leader Cate Masheder added: “It is a sad fact that every 22 minutes a child in Britain is bereaved of a parent. The death of a parent or sibling is one of the most fundamental losses a child will face and bereaved children need support to make sense of death and rebuild their lives.  Many children in Sussex are referred to us when a parent has died in an accident, following suicide or murder.  We also have a specialist programme of support for bereaved children of military families.” 

Following the meeting Spofforths Partner Adrian Pearce commented on the wonderful work carried out by Winston’s Wish: “The staff are dedicated to helping children and their families through such a difficult time, and they clearly offer far more than a counselling service.  It was great to see that children are being encouraged to take part in activities that are designed to help them deal with their emotions positively.  Spofforths will continue to support the charity and I urge other local business people to consider helping in any way they can.”