Nuneaton - we’re heading back for Group Bereavement Support Sessions in Feb/March 2026

Have you been waiting for group bereavement support sessions to return to Nuneaton?

We’ll be back in Feb/March 2026 for a slightly shorter than normal run of group sessions. Don’t worry, we’ll still make sure everything is covered in 4 weeks rather than 5 this time, to make sure the sessions are completed before the Easter school holidays.

Sessions in Nuneaton will be led by Iwona and Rebecca. There’ll be support from some of our wonderful volunteers too.

There’s still time to book a space for your children to attend. Email Iwona at iwona@guysgift.co.uk for more information.

Guy’s Gift Group Bereavment Support in Rugby

Group Bereavement Support Sessions are coming back to Rugby in January and February 2026.

The sessions will be hosted by Iwona and Maddie, with some of our fabulous volunteers.

Want to book your place at our next group bereavement support sessions? Drop us an email at info@guysgift.co.uk

Virtual Group Bereavement Support

Want to join a group support session with Guy’s Gift, but not sure you can make it to in person sessions due to afterschool commitments? We also run group bereavment support sessions virtually.

The groups are led by one of our counselling/support team members along with volunteer helpers.

The next virtual group support sessions are running with Iwona and Adele in November and December.

Coventry group bereavement support sessions

We’re trialling a different time of day for our next group bereavment support sessions in Coventry.

Taking on board feedback from families and schools, we’re trillaing running a group at the earlier time of 2pm.

The sessions in Coventry will be led by Faye, Rebecca and Iwona. Starting after half term.

Are you on our waiting list for support, and like to join us at the next group bereavement support sessions? Send an email to us at info@guysgift.co.uk to book your spot!

Upcoming Volunteer Induction Day

We’ll be holding our next Volunteer Induction Day on 24th October, in Warwick.

Would you like to join our volunteer team, to help at group support sessions or perhaps help our fundraiser? There are many things you can do to support your local bereavement support charity.

If you’d like to find out details about joining the team, and attending the induction day on 24th October, you can email Sarah at volunteering@guysgift.co.uk

Group Support sessions begining in Leamington

Our first group sessions of this academic year are running in Leamington at the Lillington Children and Family Centre, starting next week.

Sessions are being led by Libby, Maddie and Iwona, along with some of our wonderful volunteers.

If you would like to check if there’s a space for your family to attend, please send us an email to info@guysgift.co.uk

Celebrating Our Volunteers - Volunteer’s Week 2025

As we mark the beginning of Volunteer’s Week 2025, we want to take a moment to say a huge “thank you” to every single one of our incredible volunteers here at Guy’s Gift.

This years’ theme, #WeSeeYourPower, is all about recognition.

At Guy’s Gift aur volunteers are at the heart of everything we do – bringing compassion, time, and dedication to support bereaved children, young people, and their families across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Over the past year, your hard work has helped us achieve some truly meaningful milestones:

• Welcomed 12 new volunteers through our induction days, bringing our amazing team to 22 volunteers in total.

• Ran 10 sets of bereavement support groups - including in-school sessions, after-school sessions, and remote sessions - brining together children, young people and their families in similar circumstances.

• Sent out 45 bereavement resource packs to primary & secondary schools across Coventry and Warwickshire.

• Distributed 20 hospital support packs, offering immediate comfort and guidance to grieving families in the community.

• Delivered a children’s workshop in collaboration with “Gambling with Lives” workshop in July 2024.

• Reached new audiences at the Camper Calling festival in August 2024, raising awareness and support for our mission.

• Held our beautiful annual Lantern Walk in December 2024, uniting families in remembrance and community.

• Benefited from inspirational fundraising efforts – from the London Marathon 2025 and Birmingham Great Run 2025 to MuchLoved funeral donations.

Each of these moments is a testament to the dedication and passion of our volunteers.

Whether you're helping behind the scenes, helping to facilitate group/1:1 sessions, packing and delivering resources, or fundraising - your time and makes a lasting difference to your local community.

Our volunteers bring a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and skills, and it's this diversity that strengthens our work and deepens the connection we build with the families we support.

We are incredibly proud of what we've achieved together and excited for what’s ahead, with some new faces already joining our growing team.

If you or someone you know is interested in joining our volunteer community, we’d love to hear from you.

Please email volunteering@guysgift.co.uk or complete the application form via the button below…

From all of us at Guy’s Gift - thank you for everything you do. Here's to another year of hope, support, and togetherness.

#VolunteersWeek2025 #GuysGift #ThankYouVolunteers

Over 20 School’s Bereavement Resource Packs Delivered in May 2025

We are pleased to share that before May half term, our Bereavement Resource Packs were successfully delivered to over 20 primary and secondary schools across Coventry and Warwickshire.

These thoughtfully prepared packs are designed to support bereaved children and young people, helping school staff offer care and compassionate, during some of life’s most difficult moments.

What is a Bereavement Resource Pack?
The packs contain a selection of bereavement-focused books, activities, information and guidance sheets, and a Buddy Bear. We have separate packs for primary schools and secondary schools, to ensure the contents are age appropriate.

Who are they aimed at?
The books and activities are to share with children and young people who have been impacted by a bereavement and are struggling with their grief. The information sheets are to share with school staff and families.

A bit about the project:
We launched this project in 2020, with the aim to ensure every primary and secondary school across Coventry and Warwickshire receives a pack.

This project was made possible thanks to the incredible efforts of two key partners. A huge thank you to the fantastic volunteer team at Electronic Arts (EA), who generously gave their time to assemble and organise the delivery of the packs. Their hard work and dedication made all the difference.

We are also extremely grateful to Guiding Light for funding this important project. Their generous support has allowed us to provide these essential resources to schools across the region.

If you’re a member of school staff and would like to request a Bereavement Resource Pack for your school, please visit our website and head to the ‘Support for Professionals’ section for more information.

If you are interested in fundraising for us to continue this project, please head to our fundraising page for more information, or email fundraising@guysgift.co.uk. Together, you can help us to ensure that no child or young person faces grief alone.

Heroes in Running Shoes: Going the Extra Mile for Guy’s Gift

Incredible Support for Guy’s Gift from Marathon Runners and Fundraisers

At Guy’s Gift, we are incredibly grateful for the generosity, compassion, and dedication of our supporters. Recently, three inspirational individuals laced up their running shoes to quite literally, go the extra mile.

Have a read of how they took on major challenges in memory of their loved ones and to raise vital funds for the work we do with bereaved children, young people, and families across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Marc Blake Runs the London Marathon in Memory of his Loved Ones

On 27th April 2025, Marc Blake completed the London Marathon, raising nearly £3,000 in support of Guy’s Gift. Marc ran in memory of his mother-in-law, Hilary, who sadly and unexpectedly passed away earlier this year. His run was also a tribute to Chris "Hucky", a much-loved friend and father who died three years ago, leaving behind her family, including Marc’s goddaughter.

“The void this left, along with the distress & upset to the family, was heart-breaking to witness,” Marc shared. “This is my effort to repay some of the amazing support Guy’s Gift offered.”

Marc Blake,
London Marathon 2025 Finisher

Marc’s cousin, Zoe, whose family was supported by Guy’s Gift after Chris sadly died, shared her experience:

"As a family, we lost someone special and in the midst of this grief, we had children that were left without a father and none of us knew how to handle this or what to do for the best. This is where Guy's Gift came in, reassuring us that we were not alone. They provided literature, counselling and group therapy, not only for the children but also for me."

To support Marc and read his moving story, visit his JustGiving page.

Justin Wood and Chris Peat Take on the Great Birmingham Run in memory of Leanne Wood

Just a week later, on 4th May 2025, Justin Wood and Chris Peat completed the AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run, raising over £2,000 for Guy’s Gift in memory of Leanne Wood — Justin’s beloved wife and the mother of his two children.

Their run was not only a powerful tribute to Leanne’s memory, but also a testament to their commitment to helping other families experiencing the devastation of grief.

Justin Wood & Chris Peat,
AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run 2025 Finishers

Chris shared this heartfelt message after the event:

“Thanks for your donations! Charity response – £2,200 is a huge amount of money to raise, and we are all deeply grateful. This not only helps so much financially but is a big boost for the counselling team, knowing someone will push themselves to help, putting value on what they do. This is enough money to completely fund a 5-week group programme for 15 bereaved young people, so really is a huge achievement and great contribution to the work of Guy’s Gift.”

To read their story and contribute to their fundraiser, visit Chris and Justin’s JustGiving page.

A Heartfelt Thank You

To Marc, Justin, and Chris — your courage, determination, and generosity mean the world to us. Your efforts will directly support bereaved children and young people across Coventry and Warwickshire, offering them guidance, care, and hope in their most difficult times.

We also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to their campaigns. Your support helps keep our small local charity going — and allows us to continue providing one-to-one counselling, bereavement support groups, and guidance for schools, hospitals, and professionals working with grieving children.

Want to Fundraise for Guy’s Gift?

Feeling inspired? If you’d like to run, walk, cycle, host a quiz night — or get creative with your own fundraising idea — we’d love to hear from you! Every pound raised helps us reach more families in need.

📧 Get in touch at: fundraising@guysgift.co.uk

Together, we can ensure that no child faces grief alone.

Volunteer Induction Day - 11th April 2025

On Friday 11th April, we inducted 6 new volunteers to the Guy’s Gift team in Dunchurch, Rugby. Welcome aboard!

We explained the story behind Guy’s Gift and discussed our exciting volunteering opportunities.

We also ran an introduction to child bereavement training, which covered the ages and stages of grief, and how our therapeutic activities help bereaved children, young people and their families.

In the afternoon, we ran Safeguarding Training and how to apply this to their role as a volunteer with us.

It was great to see everyone getting involved and sharing thoughts and ideas to help keep the children and young people we are working with safe.

The sun even shone for us to have a picnic outside for lunch - thank you Spring!

It was lovely to see some new faces and hear their stories as to why they would like to volunteer their time to Guy’s Gift.

A warm welcome to everyone who attended, we look forward to having you as an important part of the team.

If you missed this opportunity, and are still interested in volunteering with us, you’re in luck! We are running a remote induction day on Wednesday 7th May (via MS Teams). Please email Sophie on volunteering@guysgift.co.uk to secure your place.