Bereaved Children Helped By Sussex Freemasons & Jigsaw (South East)

Bereaved Children Helped By Sussex Freemasons & Jigsaw (South East)

East Grinstead-based charity, Jigsaw (South East) has received a generous £15,000 grant over three years from Sussex Freemasons’ charitable foundation to help it to fund its vital services of support to children and young people who have lost a significant family member, or who have a family member who is terminally ill.

It is believed that more than 40,000 children across the UK lose a parent each year, in just West Sussex alone, an estimated 450 children a year have at least one of their parents die. East Grinstead-based charity, Jigsaw (South East), which operates across Surrey and parts of West Sussex, offers a bereavement support service including a six-week support group for families and one-to-one support for children and young people when a loved one is terminally ill.

Children and young people who have lost a parent or loved one will receive the important help and support, thanks to a special £15,000 grant from Sussex Freemasons to Jigsaw (South East). The funding – paid over three years – will help the East Grinstead-based charity continue its important work supporting the one in 20 bereaved children and young people in the county, who by the age of 16 will have experienced the devastating death of one or both of their parents.

Jigsaw (South East) which is based at East Court Mansion in East Grinstead since 2012 offers important support to children and young people who have a family member with a serious, life-limiting condition. It also provides sensitive, grief support to children and young people who have experienced the death of a family member through illness, accident, suicide or murder, through support groups in Reigate, Guildford and East Grinstead.

Speaking about the grant from Sussex’s Freemasons and what it means to the charity and its work, Carolyn Steer, business development manager at Jigsaw (South East), said: “We’re most grateful to Sussex Freemasons for their generous grant. We’re a small charity and are reliant on fundraising, donations and grants. These ensure we continue to deliver vital services to help children and young people during a devastating and vulnerable period in their lives.”

The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country, funded through the generosity of freemasons and their families, the MCF awards millions of pounds each year to local and national charities that help vulnerable people, advance medical research and provide opportunities for young people. The MCF also helps to fund services such as hospices and air ambulances and contributes to worldwide appeals for disaster relief.

Christopher Moore, head of Freemasons in Sussex, said: “An important part of what we do as Sussex Freemasons is supporting our Sussex communities. We’re very pleased to be able to help Jigsaw (South East), who do such an outstanding job supporting some of the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community when they need it most. Losing a parent is a deeply traumatic experience for a child and Jigsaw is there to help them cope.”

Putting The Pieces Back

For more information about Jigsaw (South East), visit www.jigsawsoutheast.org.uk. If you would like to join the charity as one of its many volunteers, contact Sarah Dodson, email: sarahdodson@jigsawsoutheast.org.uk