The Buckinghams are giving back
When we hosted our Speed Quiz in October 2024 a familiar family came along to the fundraising event and we could see that Wendy still had short hair, just how we remembered her from three years earlier! In March 2021 Wendy ’Braved the Shave’ and allowed her girls to cut off all of her hair to raise money in memory of their dad, Ken Buckingham, who died five years earlier.
Wendy and Ken married in 1995 and have three daughters, Sophie, Hannah and Charlotte, sadly Ken died on 28th March 2016, aged 52. The girls were 9, 11 and 16. It was wonderful to see Wendy and the girls at the Quiz night and we took the opportunity to chat with them and ask how life is now, nine years on from Ken’s untimely death. Wendy proudly told us about how life is moving forward but that Ken is never far from their thoughts.
An update from Wendy
It will be nine years since Ken died in March 25 and still to this day, I know we are in a strong position emotionally and mentally through the support given to us by Jigsaw South East. The girls are of course older now and moving into early adulthood and I simply couldn’t be prouder of them.
Charlotte was 25 in January and since Ken died, she has gained a BA (hons) in Creative writing from Portsmouth University and started her masters in Sept 2024 in the same subject. She has worked hard to overcome the sadness and trauma of losing her dad at 16.
How Jigsaw ‘cradles’ its families while they heal and lets them go when they are ready’ by Hannah Buckingham
Hannah is now 20 and in year two of her BA(hons) painting and fine art degree at Brighton University. She loves her subject and has used her bereavement to inspire her artistic pieces.
Sophie was 18 in December and is finishing her A levels now. One of these is photography and she has used our families grief journey to inspire the content of her portfolio, she is predicted to finish with a wonderful grade.
I’m now 51, and working in a secondary school supporting students in the classroom to achieve their potential. It’s a wonderful role and I find it very fulfilling. As a family we continue to support each other when we are having a bad day or missing Ken. The grief never goes away but we are able to use the strategies given to us by Jigsaw South East to be able to cope with these moments. We remember Ken every day and talk about him a lot. It’s important to us to keep his memory alive and to honour him by leading happy lives of which he would be proud of.
Looking to the future
Ken’s 10th anniversary will be in 2026 and Wendy is deciding between a skydive or an abseil to mark the anniversary and to raise much needed funds for the charities who supported them when they needed it the most. We are so grateful to Wendy for continuing to give back to Jigsaw in fundraising for us, but this isn’t the only way she supports us.
Wendy has also applied to volunteer at our family bereavement sessions as she feels she wants to give back and support other families are recently bereaved in this special way. The support of volunteers such as Wendy is invaluable to the service that we offer, having lived experience allows our volunteers to connect and really empathise with those we are supporting and help them to feel less alone. Thank you to Wendy and her girls for everything that they continue to do for Jigsaw South East.
