More than 10 years after it was founded, Welsh bereavement charity 2wish is expanding its services into England.
The charity, which offers support to families affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under, is expanding to offer support to those within the communities of Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Cheshire.
As a result of the expansion, which was announced at the annual Little Ball of Hope on June 10th, the charity will now be known as 2wish Cymru in Wales and 2wish in England.
The Llantrisant-based charity is currently appointing a Bereavement Services Manager in England, and they will be advertising for several other roles in the areas in the coming days.
Founder Rhian Manning MBE established 2wish in 2012, after she and her husband Paul experienced the heartache of losing their baby son George. They left the hospital heartbroken, confused and bewildered with no support. Five days later, consumed with grief, Paul took his own life. There was no support available, and she and her children felt completely alone.
The charity has so far supported over 1300 families who have lost a child or young person aged 25 or under. Working hand in hand with organisations such as the Police, NHS Wales and Organ Donation Wales, it provides support to make sure that no family is missed. Across every Emergency Unit and Critical Care Unit in Wales there are now immediate support pathways in place.
Rhian is delighted to be extending services into England: “I’m immensely proud of what the charity has achieved here in Wales and am determined to continue to help those who find themselves in the heart-breaking position of losing a loved one under 25. 2wish Cymru will continue to do that.
“We are so excited to be expanding into England. We have been spending time building relationships in the hospitals and police forces of bordering counties, which has been a key step, along with the current recruitment for the Bereavement Services Manager for England. We shall imminently be recruiting for a team of support and outreach coordinators too and are really interested to hear from anyone who is passionate about helping us develop the service in England.”
Rhian added: “Our jobs are as incredibly hard as they are rewarding. We meet devastated families at the lowest ebb of their lives. It is a hugely traumatic time and sudden loss can have a profound effect on the mental health of parents, siblings and other family members.
“We believe this support is essential and will prevent further families walking out into the night with no hope and no support. We are very proud that we are now able to extend this help and support to families on the English borders.
“2wish Cymru will be financially independent of England and that we remain a proud Welsh charity for the people of Wales. Without the community support of Wales, we would not have gotten this far, and we want to thank the Welsh people for the unwavering support.”
To find out more about 2wish and other opportunities to work with the team please see here: https://www.2wish.org.uk/about-us/opportunities/ .