A book to support children when they lose a loved one has been written by a member of staff at Derby’s longest established family-owned funeral directors.
Fay Bloor, Bereavement Support Coordinator and trained counsellor at Wathall’s, has published ‘Missing Someone Special’ which gently explains to youngsters what it means when someone dies. The beautiful book, illustrated by Michael Ashley, talks about what it means when people die, what grief is, and gives information about what happens at both a burial and a cremation. It also highlights the importance of sharing emotions following the death of a loved one and is a resource often used by families.
Fay said: “As part of Children’s Mental Health Week in February, it is always a good time to showcase what resources are available to children and their families and my book, Missing Someone Special, is one.
“It is an activity book that allows children to express their feelings through words and pictures and at the same time, support parents who are helping to navigate their children through a difficult grief journey.”
Children’s Mental Health Week runs from Monday, February 9, and is an annual mental health awareness week launched by children’s mental health charity, Place2Be. The theme this month is ‘This is My Place’ and sets out to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK.
Fay said: “From my experience, sometimes bereaved children feel like they don’t belong because they are going through something none of their friends have been through.”
