25 years on
Marilyn Relf, Trustee and co-founder, shares how SeeSaw Grief Support became the organisation it is today.
“When we started this work, we had no idea what it would become, and how successful the charity would be… it has such a reputation and that is reflected in the hard work of our staff and volunteers.”
It all started with one person’s vision, Ann Couldrick. In the mid 1980s, Ann and I set up the bereavement service at Sobell House. Ann, as a former health visitor and one of the first Macmillan nurses, was a pioneer. Whilst working at Sobell House, Ann worked particularly with people who had young children. She noticed that a lot of the people we were working with struggled to know how to support their children’s grief. We became determined that we needed to do something, to give children a better service.
At the same time, early studies of bereaved children were published, showing that bereavement could not only affect children in the short term – with their anxiety, depression, wellbeing, it could also go on and affect them in their adult life as rates of suicide and depression are higher when a young person has been bereaved in childhood.
8,000+
children and young people supported over the past 25 years
Some timely funding we were offered started us off, and Ann went out into the community, talking to children, parents, family members, teachers, professionals working with children. Her report provided us with the evidence to find out what the needs are of bereaved children and young people across Oxfordshire.
Ann determined we needed to provide a direct service to children and young people, to give information and advice to parents, and support professionals who are working with children.
Ann’s blueprint has stood the test of time, and that is what SeeSaw is still doing now, 25 years later.
