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In this episode, we speak with Dad Raj about the loss of his baby son Riaan and the long search for answers after his death at seven months old. He shares the medical issues Riaan faced, the events of the night he died, and the recent understanding that Riaan had a very rare genetic condition. Raj shares how he started Sands United FC Nottingham to provide support for other dads who have lost a baby.  Raj explains the purpose of the charity he set up with his wife Sharan in honour of their son Riaan Remembers and how the charity supports bereaved families and provides training to NHS staff to better support parents in baby loss. In Raj’s role as a trustee he recently delivered a letter to Downing Street to call for action to improve the racial inequality in baby loss.  Raj talks about the football sessions, peer support for bereaved dads and how often the dads are overlooked and we need to be more open in conversation to better support Dad’s as well as the Mums in baby loss.

In this podcast episode we speak with Lucy from Ellie’s Gift about how the service began after the loss of her baby daughter Ellie and how that experience shaped support for families facing baby loss. Lucy talks about Ellie’s birth plan and their hypnobirthing approach, which helped create a calm delivery and a precious chance to say hello and goodbye. Lucy explains how she later trained as a hypnobirthing teacher and adapted those ideas into Ellie’s Gift, a free app used in the NHS and internationally, with resources such as audio tracks, journaling, yoga and aftercare support. We also cover the organisation’s work for families experiencing TFMR (Termination For Medical Reasons), its mindfulness and grief course, the companion book, and the importance of language, collaboration and support during pregnancy after loss. Lucy Livesey, Ellie’s Gift, baby loss, support, birth plan, hypnobirthing, NHS app, grief, TFMR, stillbirth, miscarriage and mindfulness

In this podcast we chat with Vanessa May, a bereaved parent, author, grief and spiritualist life coach about supporting bereaved parents and her books 'Love Untethered: How to Live When Your Child Dies' and 'When Grief Takes Everything: A Survival Guide to Devastating Loss’. We discuss her son Harry, the shock of his death, and how writing became a way for Vanessa to process her grief. We also talk about the physical effects of grief and trauma, including sleep, digestion, anxiety, and nervous system dysregulation, as well as the value of self-care, breathwork, journaling, nature, and support from other bereaved parents. Vanessa reflects on continuing bonds, spiritual beliefs, signs, and the comfort she found in research about mothers carrying cells from their children. Finally, we discuss Vanessa’s later losses, including her husband of 30 years and her father, and how these experiences shaped her understanding of complex grief and trauma and how she wrote her third book during this time. Vanessa speaks about taking things one day at a time, finding small pleasures, and accepting that grief changes rather than ends. Vanessa May, bereaved mother, grief coach, grief educator, grief, bereaved parents, Love Untethered, When Grief Takes Everything, trauma recovery, continuing bonds

In this special episode for National Bereaved Parents Day 2026  we speak with Gayle Routledge, founder and CEO of A Child of Mine.  We hear how she set up National Bereaved Parents Day on 3 July 2020 and the purpose of this year's theme - This Is My Place.  We also hear her personal story about her son Lewis, from his neuroblastoma diagnosis and treatment to his death shortly before his third birthday. Gayle shares how A Child of Mine began as a website and grew into a charity offering peer to peer support for bereaved families locally and online. Gayle covers the range of support the charity provides for parents, siblings, grandparents, and families affected by different types of loss. Gayle explains the importance of the candle-lighting at 7pm on 3rd July and how they look to share parents' stories for National Bereaved Parents Day, along with this year’s butterfly installation in St Mary's Church in Stafford.   Links: https://achildofmine.org.uk/ https://achildofmine.org.uk/category/support/ https://www.facebook.com/achildofmine https://www.instagram.com/achildofmine/%20

In this special collaboration episode For Dads By Dads we wanted to recognise and offer support for bereaved dads of any circumstances. We will hear from Dads who have lost a baby, a child, a young person and an adult child. We understand that each loss is unique but the difficulties and challenges you may be navigating right now might be similar. We hope by hearing from different Dads it brings you some connection, support, recognition and hope of the devastating loss you are going through. We would like to say a big thank you to all the bereaved dads who have contributed to this episode: Raj, David, Ronak, Simon, David Higson, Olly and Bryan. We have listed organisations that the dads have mentioned and other organisations providing support to Dads on our episode listing which you can find on our web site at bereavedparentsclub.org.uk. This episode is dedicated to Riaan Sam Jakub George Martin Evie Poppy and Dottie.

Nicola shares her heartbreaking story of her daughterLaura's bravery and determination after being diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer Glioblastoma.  How Laura defied the initial terminal prognosis timeline, the families fight for treatment to keep Laura alive.  Nicola shares stories of Laura's bucket list which went viral.  How Laura became a young ambassador for the Brain Tumour Charity and re-enrolled at university whilst having Chemo and completed her degree course and graduated with a 2:1. Nicola shares the need for the narrative to change in termsof more support and recognition for sibling loss and that her other daughter Gracie now works for Sibling Support UK to help other siblings like herself. Nicola Nuttall has become a passionate fundraiser, speaker and campaigner, fighting to raise awareness of the disease. Her book ‘The Stars Will Still Be There’ published by Harper Collins, is an unflinchingly honest account of how the family coped with Laura’s devastating diagnosis and helped to make the most of her remaining time, reminding us all to live life to the fullest and ‘Be More Laura’ every single day. Nicola runs The Be More Laura Foundation which funds vital research in the hope of finding kinder, more effective treatments for glioblastoma and works with organisations such as Our Brain Bank, Brain Cancer Justice and The Brain Tumour Charity to call for change in how brain tumours are treated, particularly in young adults. Please be aware this episode will include themes of death, loss and cancer treatment.

How do you tackle wills, pensions and legacy post the death of your only child when you have little family and no future bloodline? Tracy George's Mum shares her experience and recent difficult conversations and being four years on with still no plan? We would be happy to hear any thoughts and what other parents and families have done? #childloss​

We are thankful that Katja Faber Argenta has taken the time to record this very special Christmas Message. Katja shares her experiences of navigating Christmas over the last eleven years after her son Alex was killed on 30th December 2014. For parents more newly bereaved or parents struggling this year with the difficulties of Christmas we hope you find some comfort in Katja's words on how her family have reinvented Christmas as the years have passed and that it has felt lighter and softer in more recent years. @katja.author.faber is a mother, writer, speaker and grief mentor. I like so many other bereaved parents took great comfort from Katja's posts over the years as her words resonated and I could identify in what she was writing. We would like to wish Katja, her family and all our listeners a peaceful Christmas. Whatever you choose to do or not do over the coming days is enough. Extending our love to you and your loved ones no longer physically with us ❤️. This podcast short is dedicated to Alex ❤️ #childloss #bereavedparent #survivingchristmas

We are so honoured @love.from.dad Matt has recorded this very special Christmas Message for parents who are navigating the devastating loss of a baby or young child. Matt talks about navigating that first Christmas without their baby daughter Wren who died at eight days old in April 2022. Matt explains the difficulties of handling family photos and how they include Wrens bunny in these family gatherings. Matt shares some beautiful ways of how they include and honour their daughter Wren at Christmas.  Including buying an age appropriate toy at and donating it to a local charity in Wren's honour. From the bottom of our heart we send our love to Matt, his family and to anyone affected by the loss of a baby 🩷💙. For parents seeking understanding please follow Matt @love.from.dad . Matt is an advocate for the @stillparentspodcast hosted by Dads who have all experienced baby loss.Please reach out to your local baby loss charity and national ones that offer support and a helpline. This podcast short is dedicated to Wren 🩷.

Today we are so thankful for Sascha's little sister Stefanie who has kindly recorded this special Christmas message. Her older brother Sascha died aged 18 in 2004 from Glioblastoma which is an aggressive cancer in the brain. Stefanie shares how they honour and include Sascha at Christmas and have formed ways of doing this as a family every year. We love the candle lighting idea and having a candle burning into the new year as a symbol of Stefanie taking Sascha into the next year with her. Coping with a new year without your loved one is often very challenging and a particularly complex time in grief. Sibling grief is complicated as not only does it change the dynamics of your family. You may now be the only living child yet this was never meant to be. Often siblings have special close relationships they can be best friends, confidents and protectors and the loss of them is felt in so many ways. The focus after a child dies is often on the parents as this is against the natural order of life. For a sibling they are grieving the loss of their sibling and on top the loss of the son/daughter relationship they had before as their parents are struggling with their own grief. This can have further impact the family connection with living siblings as each of their relationships with their parents and siblings are uniquely individual to them. This is a truly beautiful message from Stefanie which clearly shows the growing love and bond she has with her big brother Sascha. Thank you Stefanie x This podcast short is dedicated to Sascha ❤️ #glioblastomaawareness #siblingloss #siblinggrief #survivingchristmas #saytheirnames

We are so grateful to Emma Ruby's Mum for taking the time to record this special podcast short on how her family handle Christmas and include/honour their daughter Ruby who died in May 2020 at the age of eighteen from lymphoma a form of blood cancer. We hope it resonates and provides comfort and support to other bereaved parents as this time of year is particularly tricky and at times overwhelming. Ruby's family and friends have raised a truly incredible £292k during the last five years through Live Kindly Live Loudly which is Ruby's motto and her legacy. All the money raised goes directly to CCLG: The Children & Young People's Cancer Association  raising vital funds for research into T-cell lymphoma and leukaemia. You can find out more information by visiting @livekindlyliveloudly on instagram and clicking on their web link in the bio. Thank you Emma xx This podcast short is dedicated to Ruby ❤️. #livekindlyliveloudly #bereavedparents#childloss#survivingchristmas #saytheirnames

Kasia shares her story of her son Jakub including his musical talent and his final day.  We hear about Jaks World, a suicide prevention charity, and how this has helped Kasia in her grief.  Kasia explains the need to change the narrative around suicide and providing education to all and the important work Jaks World is doing in honest open conversations around suicide and its prevention.  Kasia, as a qualified EFT practitioner, talks openly about her experience and how she uses this practice daily in trying to help regulate her nervous system.Please be aware this episode covers grief, loss and suicide.

Meet Debbie and Tracy, the two mums behind the Bereaved Parents’ Club. And meet Dan and George, their brilliant sons whose deaths led to the mums joining the club that nobody wants to be a member of.  This is an opportunity to find out how Tracy and Debbie met, and how the podcast came about. You’ll also hear about their books. Debbie wrote Midowed, published last year, which describes the first year of grief and celebrates the mother-son bond and coins the word ‘midowed’ to describe a mother that has lost her child. Tracy’s book Cooked with Love celebrates food as an expression of love and a way of sharing wonderful memories. Gathering recipes from bereaved parents it’s a mouth-watering testament to meals loved and shared, and a glimpse into the lives of the children we miss so very much. Join us as we think about what we have achieved and what might be coming next for the Bereaved Parents’ Club.  This episode is dedicated to George and Dan.

By taking an active and creative response to the loss of their son Josh, Jane Harris and husband Jimmy Edmonds have developed fantastic resources for all bereaved parents. Jane joins us on this episode to talk about -amongst other things - the wonderful film A Love That Never Dies, the book When Words are not Enough, and their hugely popular active grief retreats.  This episode is dedicated to Josh. Jane Harris is a psychotherapist and bereavement specialist with over 30 years of experience in the NHS and private practice. She is also a grief educator, supervisor and public speaker​, regularly appearing in podcasts and radio. Her partner Jimmy Edmonds is ​a photographer and documentary film editor with over 100 TV credits. He is also a Winston Churchill Fellow and BAFTA award-winning filmmaker with several critically-acclaimed documentaries to his name​, including Chosen for Channel 4 and Breaking the Silence for BBC1.  After the death of their son at the age of 22 in 2011​, they created The Good Grief Project www.thegoodgriefproject.co.uk a charity dedicated to a proactive approach to grief. Using ideas that flow from the concept of ‘continuing bonds’, as opposed to society’s expectation of detachment from the deceased, they developed their Active Grief programme, comprising a series of residential retreats and workshops. Here, bereaved parents and siblings are helped to discover new and imaginative ways of expressing their grief, through creative writing, photography, boxing and fitness training. Grief is energy, they say, and their own skills have enabled them to make a number of significant films, including the award-winning A Love That Never Dies, Gerry’s Legacy, Beyond Goodbye, Say Their Name, and Beyond the Mask.  Their films, workshops and retreats speak to a new appreciation of what it means to grieve in a society that often has difficulty talking openly about death, dying and bereavement.  Their latest book, When Words Are Not Enough: Creative Responses to Grief is available worldwide.  https://www.quickthornbooks.com/title-list/when-words-are-not-enough/  “The word I keep coming back to with this book is beautiful, not a word I would usually associate with grief. But this book is rich in detail and compassion, it is authoritative and kind. Jane and Jimmy have done an extraordinary thing, through their immense loss and pain they have chosen to redefine grief as love turned inside out and walk alongside the bereaved. They make grief less scary. I have not read a better book on grief.”  Annalisa Barbiere – THE GUARDIAN  Resources: Please visit The Good Grief Project to learn more about Jane and Jimmy’s work, including the film A Love That Never Dies and the book When Words Are Not Enough. This link takes you directly to their Active Grief Retreats and you can find out about Grief Fit too. The July Three Peaks Challenge that Jane mentioned is on the Events page. The Compassionate Friends can be contacted here. The Helpline is 0345 123 2304. The Grieving Brain by Mary-Frances O’ Connor.

In January 2020, Liam Walsh's 15-year old son Patrick went to a football game with his brother and never came home. He collapsed as they dashed for the last train out of Marylebone and died, suddenly, unexpectedly and still, without cause. Two weeks later, Liam's Dad, with his sense of purpose desperately unravelled, gently died too. 'Red Balloons' traces their last months, and how Liam endured the next ones. Today, he discusses writing, running, and family life after loss. Resources Red Balloons, Liam Walsh SUDC UK (Sudden Unexplained Death of a Child) SUDC is the unexpected death of a child aged between 1-18 years that remains unexplained. SUDC UK is a registered charity dedicated to awareness, research and family support. There are running clubs across the UK, for all ages and ability levels. Here’s some places to start: Run Together (England Athletics) The UK Good Run Guide A-Z directory If you need a more bouncy and excitable excuse/reason to get outdoors…Borrow My Doggy For more resources as discussed on the episode, please visit the ⁠Bereaved Parents' Club⁠. This episode is dedicated to Patrick.