A huge thank you to our Jigsaw (South East) Trustees!

Throughout the UK alone there are almost one million Trustees helping charities like Jigsaw (South East) to thrive. With Trustee week just around the corner (6-12 November) we thought it was the perfect opportunity to thank our wonderful Trustees for their time, commitment and dedication. 

Our trustees are incredibly important and play a vital role in making sure that Jigsaw (South East) achieves its core purpose. They oversee the overall management and administration of the charity and ensure that we follow a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our vision.

Join the team!

Excitingly we have some current vacancies for Trustees.  We are looking for people willing to bring energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the role, and who will broaden the diversity of thinking on our trustee board. We welcome a range of skills relevant to our charity.

We are particularly looking for people with experience in

• Finance and accounting
• Fundraising
• Digital

We meet quarterly at East Court Mansion, East Grinstead with some additional ad hoc meetings.

Since April 2023 we have received 83 new referrals (145 children and young people) and have supported 547 children and young people in total, offering both pre bereavement and bereavement support.

We have also received 120 contacts on our helpline, providing guidance, support and information to both families and professionals.

Online information sessions
We continue to deliver our online information sessions for parents/carers. We have developed new presentations to meet the identified needs of families and have two new sessions being delivered in October and November which are titled 'Understanding and supporting children through anticipatory grief and bereavement' and 'Continuing bonds and memory making'.

Family Bereavement groups
We are continuing to pilot and deliver our new model of family bereavement sessions. The sessions delivered and evaluated to date have been well received and we are due to deliver three more before the end of the financial year.

Parent feedback has shown that as a result of attending the session their child/children have;

• Been given ways to communicate about their loved one who has died
• Have been able to express themselves about a loved one's death in an age appropriate way
• Have benefitted from meeting other similar aged bereaved children.

Making meaning group

Social events and activities
We continue to offer a range of social events and activities throughout the year which are well received by families.

We have another two events being delivered before the end of the year; an activity day at Wakehurst in October and a Winter social in Reigate in November.

Parents report as a result of attending these events that they feel less alone and more connected to other parents who are supporting a child who is facing the death of a loved one or has been bereaved.

Families at Gatton Park

Our online information sessions are free and open to all. Thanks to the Gatwick Airport Community Trust, The National Lottery Community Fund and BBC Children in Need for helping to fund this.

Supporting children and young people through bereavement at school or other professional settings.

Date: Tuesday 10th October | Time: 3.30pm 

For teachers, school staff, support workers and any other professional working directly with children and young people who have been affected by grief.

Book here

Understanding and supporting Children and young people through anticipatory grief and bereavement.

Date: Tuesday 10th October  | Time: 8pm - 9.15pm

Book here

For parents/carers supporting children and young people who are facing the death of a loved one and those who have been bereaved.

Continuing bonds and memory making

Date: Tuesday 7th November | Time: 8pm - 9pm

For parents/carers who are supporting bereaved children and young people.

Book here

We are so grateful for all the fundraising events and donations that have been made since our last newsletter in June. As you will see from the amazing collage of photos, a lot has been going on and these funds allow us to continue to support families in our local area!

Brave supporter Richard took to the skies, successfully competing a Wing Walk this summer! On the hottest weekend of September, determined sisters Sharon and Lisa took on the Thames Bridge trek walking 25k in memory of Steve, the amazing Heape Family cycled from London to Brighton in memory of David and our very own brilliant Fundraising Co-ordinator Sally took on the Great North Run for Jigsaw!

Nineteen fabulous students from Tonbridge Grammar School volunteered alongside the Jigsaw Team to help at the Hever Castle Triathlon. 

We have had great support from local businesses and community; Chequer Mead comedy night patrons have been donating to us and Carlos Lounge quiz teams have raised funds for us too! The Day Lewis Pharmacy ran a raffle, Coolings Garden Centre donated seeds for our families to grow together and the incredible team from ThermoFisher team arranged a bucket collection at Lingfield Park Racecourse.

We have also been so grateful to receive donations from Kingscote WI, The Sophie Jane Tyler Trust, Wayfairers Golf Society and £1000 from St Mary’s Church in Oxted.

Thank you so much to everyone for their continued support.  

We are busy planning our forthcoming Fish and Chips Speed Quiz on 11th November and our 2024 Charity Ball! We are still looking for sponsors for both of these events, so please share this within your networks to see if any organisation will support us. We would love to see you at one of our events, tickets are available to buy now for both dates, please click on the events page of our website to find out more.

Dates for your diary

• Quiz Night - 11th November 2023
• Brighton Marathon - 7th April 2024
• Charity Ball - 27th April 2024

We would like to thank the following Trusts, Foundations and grant-giving organisations for their recent grants and donations: