Winston’s Wish national Helpline enhanced by the recruitment of Coordinator Ben Garfitt

WINSTON’S Wish, the leading childhood bereavement charity in the UK, is delighted to welcome Ben Garfitt to its Clinical Services team.

Ben joins Winston’s Wish as Helpline Coordinator, overseeing the delivery of the charity’s national Helpline facility which offers support, information and guidance to all those caring for a child or young person who has been bereaved.

Part of Ben’s role will involve analysing the performance of the Helpline and implementing ongoing improvements to this vital bereavement support service.

Originally from Shropshire and now living in Birmingham, Ben joins Winston’s Wish having spent the summer working at the World Health Organisation in Geneva as a Research Intern, where he investigated occupational health in different countries across the globe.

Prior to that, Ben worked as National Depression Initiative Operator at the New Zealand mental health telephone counselling service Lifeline Aotearoa.

This service provides 24/7 telephone counselling and support for those affected by addiction, depression, anxiety and family problems.

In this role, working in Auckland, Ben was part of youth project The Lowdown, which specialised in supporting young people suffering from depression.

Ben also brings his clinical experience to Winston’s Wish, having completed a degree in Psychology at Bristol University and a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy at Nottingham University.

Ben is looking forward to his new role at Winston’s Wish, commenting:

“I’m looking forward to taking on such an important role within Winston’s Wish, and to further develop this vital service. People call the Helpline to discuss a huge range of concerns and to ask questions around bereavement. We’re here to listen carefully and help families work out how best to support bereaved young people”.

Clinical Services Development Team Leader, Suzie Phillips, added:

“Ben’s telephone counselling experience will be invaluable in helping us to support more bereaved children and their families. We very much look forward to welcoming him to the team”.

The Winston’s Wish Helpline is often the first point of call for many families faced with a bereavement and for professionals seeking expert guidance on how to support grieving children and young people.

Callers can expect to hear the comforting voice of a Winston’s Wish practitioner, offering help, advice, and reassurance.

Call to the charity’s Helpline are increasingly annually, with 3,000 calls over the past 12 months which has resulted in the recent extension to its opening hours of Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm to include a Wednesday evening (7-9.30 pm).

“The advice offered on the Helpline was really helpful for me and my family. We spent a very special couple of weeks together with the ideas that Winston’s Wish gave us. I would happily recommend the Winston’s Wish Helpline to anyone who is going through a bereavement of their own”.

~ Anonymous Helpline testimonial

Winston’s Wish helps children and young people rebuild their lives after the death of their mum, dad, brother or sister, enabling them to face the future with confidence and hope.

Each year, Winston’s Wish supports over 30,000 bereaved children and young people.