BBC Documentary for Children In Need
A new BBC One documentary shares the stories of children and young people dealing with the death or serious illness of a parent and will be shown on BBC One at 10.45pm Tuesday 14 November
A young person who attended a local bereavement charity’s six-week Grief Support Groups will be featured on a special documentary ‘Saying Goodbye’ on BBC One which shares stories of a group of children and young people from across the UK who are coming to terms with the death or serious illness of a parent.
Shayna West, 17, from Sunbury-on-Thames, attended the charity’s six-week Grief Support Groups in Guildford in Spring 2016, along with her younger sister and mother following the death of her father from pancreatic cancer in 2013.
Everyday in the UK, more than 100 children lose their mum or dad. A young person has to deal with the death of a parent every two minutes.
The documentary, from Bafta award-winning True Vision Productions, will be broadcast on Tuesday 14th November at 10.45pm as part of the run up to the BBC’s Children In Need fundraising campaign. Many of the young people featured in the programme have been supported by organisations that receive Children in Need funding – such as Jigsaw (South East).
Shayna West-Watson said:
“The filming experience has been really positive, and actually even prompted me to remember memories of my dad that I hadn’t thought of for a long time. Although it is dealing with a very personal subject, I know that my dad would have been loving the fact I’d been involved.”
The programme, which is narrated by actor Helena Bonham Carter, allows children and young people to share their experiences coping with or preparing for the possible death of a parent, in their own words, with the aim of helping other children and young people who are facing a similar circumstance.
Jigsaw (South East) is a local charity that provides support to bereaved families as well as those facing the devastating news that a family member has a life-threatening illness.
Nickey Price, Operations Manager for Jigsaw (South East), said:
“We were absolutely delighted to be involved with a documentary that shines a light on a common, yet often hidden issue for thousands of children and young people across the UK. We would like to thank Shayna for bravely sharing her family’s experiences.”
Based at East Court Mansion in East Grinstead since 2006, the charity offers support to children and young people who have a family member with a serious, life-limiting condition throughout Surrey and parts of West Sussex. It also provides grief support to children and young people who have experienced the death of a significant family member through illness, accident, suicide or murder (through groups in Reigate and Guildford and East Grinstead).
To view a trailer of the film, visit: http://bit.ly/2zGgt44
