Recently, St Barnabas Hospice received £1,480 from Boston Tesco to put towards Pip’s Kits, which can help young children understand death and cope with grief.
St Barnabas applied for a Tesco Community Grant in the Boston store, and the charity was placed among three local good causes for the blue token customer vote. For the past three months, customers have been able to choose from these three, with St Barnabas winning first prize.
The Hospice supports families across Lincolnshire from the moment of a diagnosis, helping them throughout the process with not just care, but also mental wellbeing. This includes services such as counselling, pre-bereavement support and when the time comes, bereavement support. This mental wellbeing support is available to people of all ages, including children.
Pip’s Kit is a package for 5 – 10-year-olds that includes age-appropriate materials about hospices, death, grief, and coping. It includes soft cuddly toys, books, and activities to help the child explore their feelings and understand what is happening. Pip’s Kit was created by Fruit Fly Collective, a not-for-profit organisation that includes teams of scientists, clinicians, and artists.
Mandy Irons, Head of Wellbeing Services at St Barnabas Hospice, says: “Sadly, we are seeing a rise in our referrals for younger families coming into our service, who have children in the 5 – 10 age range. Explaining that Mum or Dad is dying is the most traumatic event possible for a child and we want to make this journey as supported as possible for the family.
“Fruit Fly Collective work with children and families affected by palliative illness to help them understand and create their own ways of coping.
“Thanks to this amazing donation from Boston Tesco we can now purchase 37 kits to help even more families who are struggling to cope.”
If you or your organisation can support St Barnabas Hospice with child bereavement support through funding or by providing further materials, please contact Mandy Irons on mandy.irons@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or 07483 105 240.