Grief takes many forms, and the people around you — however loving — cannot always provide what you need. They are grieving too, or they don’t know what to say, or they haven’t been through it themselves. Bereavement charities exist to bridge that gap: trained listeners, professionals who specialise in loss, and peer support from people who have been through something similar.
The UK has a genuinely strong network of bereavement support organisations. Some are national, offering free helplines and online counselling. Others focus on specific types of loss — the death of a child, the death of a partner at a young age, or bereavement after suicide. This guide covers the main ones, who they help, and how to reach them.
You don’t need a referral to contact any of them. You can call on the day someone dies, or weeks later when the shock has passed and you find yourself struggling alone.
Quick comparison
| Organisation | Who they help | Free? | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cruse Bereavement Support | Anyone bereaved | Yes | 0808 808 1677 |
| The Good Grief Trust | Anyone bereaved (signposting + helpline) | Yes | 0800 024 6121 |
| WAY Widowed and Young | People widowed under 51 | Membership £30/yr | widowedandyoung.org.uk |
| Winston’s Wish | Bereaved children and young people (under 25) | Yes | 08088 020 021 |
| Child Bereavement UK | Families and children; professionals | Yes | 0800 028 8840 |
| Grief Encounter | Bereaved children and young people (under 25) | Yes | 0808 802 0111 |
| AtaLoss.org | Anyone bereaved (national directory) | Yes | ataloss.org |
| Marie Curie | Anyone bereaved (esp. after terminal illness) | Yes | 0800 090 2309 |
| The Compassionate Friends | Bereaved parents and siblings | Yes | 0345 123 2304 |
| Samaritans | Anyone in acute distress | Yes | 116 123 |
Cruse Bereavement Support
Cruse is the UK’s largest bereavement charity, with 84 local branches across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1959 and has spent more than 60 years developing its approach to grief support. In a typical year, it delivers support to more than 70,000 people.
The organisation offers a free national helpline (0808 808 1677), staffed by trained volunteers who can listen, provide information, and help you understand what you’re going through. Cruse also offers local one-to-one support with grief specialists, as well as specialist services for people bereaved by suicide, children and young people, and military families.
There is no set number of sessions and no pressure to engage with any particular type of support. If you call the helpline and it isn’t right for you, they can point you elsewhere. Waiting times for one-to-one support vary by area, but the helpline is available without an appointment.
Cruse also provides workplace training — grief awareness programmes and manager training — which can be relevant if you’re trying to support a colleague through bereavement.
Contact: cruse.org.uk | Helpline: 0808 808 1677
The Good Grief Trust
The Good Grief Trust describes itself as the UK’s largest grief network, bringing more than 1,000 charities and support services under one umbrella. Rather than providing counselling directly, it acts as a gateway — a place to go when you don’t know where to start.
Its website lets you search by type of loss, location, age, and kind of support you’re looking for, returning a list of services near you. It also runs its own National Bereavement Service helpline (0800 024 6121, Monday–Friday 9am–6pm, Saturday 10am–2pm) for people who want to talk to someone before they’re ready to find a regular service.
The trust also maintains a library of resources, runs grief cafes through its network, and publishes personal stories from bereaved people — which many find helpful simply as a reminder that they are not alone.
Everything on the website is free. The organisation is a registered charity (number 1172763) and relies on donations.
Contact: thegoodgrieftrust.org | National Bereavement Service: 0800 024 6121
WAY Widowed and Young
WAY (Widowed and Young) supports people who were 50 or under when their partner died, regardless of whether they were married, in a civil partnership, or cohabiting. The charity’s registered number is 1164988.
What makes WAY distinct is its model: peer support from people who have been through the same experience at a similar age. It runs an online community, local in-person events and gatherings, specialist groups for LGBTQ+ members and parents, and an annual holiday programme. Its 24-hour telephone helpline is available any time.
Annual membership is £30 — a nominal amount to cover the charity’s running costs — and the Memorial Fund provides financial assistance for those who cannot afford it. Members can remain involved after turning 51 if they joined before that birthday.
This is not a counselling service. It is a community, and for many people that is exactly what they need: connection with others who understand what it is to be young and widowed in a way that family and friends, however supportive, cannot fully grasp.
Contact: widowedandyoung.org.uk | Membership: £30/year
Winston’s Wish
Winston’s Wish is the UK’s leading charity for bereaved children and young people, supporting those aged up to 25 who have lost a parent, sibling, or other significant person. Its registered numbers are 1061359 (England and Wales) and SC041140 (Scotland).
The freephone helpline (08088 020 021) is available Monday–Friday, 8am–8pm, with no appointment needed and no waiting list. Support workers can help both young people themselves and the adults — parents, carers, teachers — who are trying to help them. Contact is also available by email (ask@winstonswish.org), text, and WhatsApp (07418 341 800). Interpreter services are available for non-English speakers.
Winston’s Wish also provides a range of online resources, guides, and publications for parents navigating conversations about death with children at different ages. Its resources for schools and educators are well regarded by professionals in that space.
All services are free.
Contact: winstonswish.org | Helpline: 08088 020 021 | Email: ask@winstonswish.org
Child Bereavement UK
Child Bereavement UK supports families when a child dies, as well as children and young people who have experienced the loss of someone significant. It also provides training and resources to the professionals — teachers, healthcare workers, social workers — who work with bereaved families.
The charity’s free helpline (0800 028 8840) is open Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. Support is also available by email and online chat. Face-to-face support is available at a number of regional centres.
The distinction between Child Bereavement UK and Winston’s Wish is subtle but real. Winston’s Wish focuses primarily on supporting bereaved children and young people themselves. Child Bereavement UK has a stronger dual focus: supporting both grieving families (including parents whose child has died) and the professionals around them. If you’re a teacher or healthcare professional looking for training or guidance, Child Bereavement UK is a particularly good starting point.
Contact: childbereavementuk.org | Helpline: 0800 028 8840
Grief Encounter
Grief Encounter is a London-based charity providing specialist bereavement support to children, young people (up to age 25), and their families. Its charity number is 1175837.
It runs a free national helpline (0808 802 0111, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm) alongside regional therapy centres in London (020 8371 8455) and Bristol (0117 985 3343). One-to-one support is available in person and remotely. The charity also produces the Grief Book — an activity resource designed to help children explore memories and emotions at their own pace.
Grief Encounter receives no government funding and operates entirely through donations, which shapes its culture: the organisation is lean, highly focused on direct support, and driven by its specialist team.
Contact: griefencounter.org.uk | Helpline: 0808 802 0111 | Email: bereavementsupport@griefencounter.org.uk
AtaLoss.org
AtaLoss is a national signposting charity (number 1169269) that exists to help bereaved people find the right support quickly. Its searchable online directory covers thousands of services across the UK, filterable by the type of loss, relationship to the person who died, age, and location.
For people who don’t know where to start — or who live somewhere with limited local provision — AtaLoss is often the most useful first stop. It does not provide counselling itself, but it does offer an online bereavement counsellor chat service for UK users who need immediate support while they work out their next step.
The directory is free to use. AtaLoss also maintains a resource library covering books, apps, and websites, and provides separate guidance for people in the immediate aftermath of a death and those further along in grief.
Contact: ataloss.org
Marie Curie
Marie Curie is best known for its hospice and palliative care services, but its bereavement support is open to anyone — you do not need to have used its nursing or hospice services to access help.
The charity’s free support line (0800 090 2309) is staffed by trained professionals who can provide emotional support and information to people who are grieving. Its website also offers an extensive online community — a forum where bereaved people can share thoughts and experiences — as well as easy-read guides and video resources for people with learning disabilities.
Marie Curie’s bereavement section is particularly useful for people who have lost someone to a terminal illness and are looking for support from an organisation that understands both the anticipatory grief that comes before a death and the bereavement that follows.
Contact: mariecurie.org.uk | Support line: 0800 090 2309
The Compassionate Friends
The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a peer support charity specifically for parents and siblings who have lost a child or sibling of any age — including adult children. It is run almost entirely by bereaved parents and siblings themselves, which gives it a particular character: everyone who answers the phone or facilitates a support group has been through the same loss.
The national helpline (0345 123 2304) is available Monday–Friday evenings and weekends. TCF also runs postal and online support groups covering specific types of loss — parents bereaved by suicide, parents of only children, bereaved siblings, and more. A library of resources is available online and by post.
All services are free. The charity is registered in England and Wales.
Contact: tcf.org.uk | Helpline: 0345 123 2304
Samaritans
Samaritans (charity number 219432) is not a bereavement charity in the strict sense, but it belongs in this guide because grief — particularly in the months after a sudden or traumatic loss — can tip into acute crisis. When someone is struggling to cope and needs to talk to another person immediately, Samaritans’ 24-hour, 365-days-a-year helpline (116 123) is the right first call.
Calls are free. Samaritans also runs peer support groups for people bereaved by suicide, and local branches offer in-person support in some areas.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 999. If you’re not in crisis but are struggling, Samaritans can be a bridge to longer-term bereavement support — they can listen and, where appropriate, help you identify the next step.
Contact: samaritans.org | Helpline: 116 123 (free, 24/7)
How to choose the right support
Knowing which organisation to contact depends on two things: the type of loss, and the kind of support that will help you.
Match support to the type of loss. Some organisations specialise:
- Child bereavement (a child who has died): Child Bereavement UK or The Compassionate Friends
- A bereaved child or young person (under 25): Winston’s Wish or Grief Encounter
- Widowed under 51: WAY Widowed and Young
- Bereavement after terminal illness: Marie Curie
- Any bereavement, general support: Cruse Bereavement Support
- Not sure where to start: AtaLoss.org or The Good Grief Trust
Match support to what you need. Some people benefit most from one-to-one counselling with a trained professional. Others find that peer support — talking to people who have been through the same experience — is more meaningful. Some want online resources they can read at 2am; others want a phone number they can call when things feel unbearable.
Most charities offer more than one type of support, and many people use more than one organisation over time. There is no wrong way to grieve and no wrong way to ask for help.
What to expect when you reach out
If you’ve never contacted a bereavement charity before, it can feel like a big step. These are some things it helps to know.
You will not be judged. The people at the other end of the phone have heard many different stories, across many different types of loss. You don’t need to be in crisis to call, and you don’t need to have your thoughts in order.
Most helplines are staffed by trained volunteers, not therapists. They are skilled listeners, and they can provide information and emotional support — but if you need ongoing therapeutic support, they will help you find it. Waiting times for one-to-one counselling vary by charity and by location, so it’s worth asking about timescales when you first call.
Nothing you say is too small. Many people feel their grief isn’t “bad enough” to warrant calling a charity. That is never true.
Other sources of support
Bereavement charities are not the only route to support.
Your GP can refer you to NHS talking therapies, including CBT and counselling, some of which cover bereavement. Waiting lists vary significantly by area.
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) — if you’re in employment, your employer may offer a free and confidential counselling service, often with faster access than the NHS. Check with your HR team.
Private grief counselling is available through accredited therapists listed on the BACP directory (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). Hourly rates typically range from £40 to £100.
If the person who died left financial matters unresolved, see our guides to what to do when someone dies and bereavement support payment, which covers the government benefit available to bereaved partners.
You can also find practical information on funeral planning and planning ahead on this site.