Charity becomes fourth to receive mystery donation

The Gloucestershire charity supports bereaved children across the UK

A charity is thought to have become the fourth in the South West to receive a mystery £1,000 cash donation in the post.

Winston's Wish, a bereavement charity for children and young people which is headquartered in Gloucester, said randomly receiving the donation was "very unusual and very exciting".

Individual giving manager, Olivia Egan, said the donation will help fund the charity's helpline, which costs £299 per day to run.

"We would like to use this opportunity to thank whoever is behind this kind gesture and let them know how much we appreciate their generosity," Ms Egan said.

Established in 1992, Winston's Wish offers advice and support to children and young people after losing a parent or someone significant in their life.

Like other recent recipients of the random cash donation, 50 old-style £20 notes were sent in the post via a large folded-over envelope, with a hand-written address on it.

The donations are suspected to be from the same anonymous individual.

"It really was a big surprise," Ms Egan said.

'Grateful'

Ms Egan said, although Winston's Wish is grateful for every donation it receives, it had never received a donation like this before.

"There's obviously someone very kind and generous in the local area who is looking to support some local causes," she said.

"We're just grateful Winston's Wish was one of them."

Winston's Wish offers a help and support line, which can also be accessed via live chat and email, enabling bereaved children to speak to support staff.

Ms Egan said: "Each day, more than 100 children and young people are told the devastating news that their parent has died, and many more young people are having to cope with the death of another significant individual such as a sibling or friend.

"We provide support to children and young people, as well as the adults around them such as parents, guardians or teachers by offering advice through on-demand services such as Helpline, Live Chat, ASK email inbox and by one-to-one sessions by referral."

Initially starting out as a Gloucester-based charity, Winston’s Wish now reaches more than 60,000 young people across the UK.

In addition to offering practical advice to bereaved children, it gives those with lived experience an opportunity to become a youth ambassador, and offers training to educational and healthcare professionals to help support bereaved young children.