‘Now she knows that she’s not the only one’ - Welcome to the Heckmondwike support group for bereaved children set up by the mother of an 8-year-old who lost her dad.

Amy Wilks came up with the idea of Brighter Grays, which runs out of Kip McGrath on Smithies Lane, after the death of her young daughter’s Dad, Graham.

Lacie was only six when her father passed away in January 2021, when the country was in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, after limited support was offered to the youngster in the weeks and months following the devastating news, Amy finally took matters into her own hands.

“It was really tough to find any kind of support,” admitted the 29-year-old. “The whole world stopped. When I finally did find some support I just found that it was very short-lived. There was one that was just six weeks long and then it stopped, and the rest of them were just very far away. We just couldn’t travel that far to get to them.

“It was in the back of my mind for a while that there needed to be something for children that have lost a parent as there was just nothing around here.

“I was just sat at home one night and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do something and raise a support group.’”

The group’s first session was held in April 2023, with meetings every fortnight on a Sunday from 1pm.

Sessions consist of discussions around grief and emotions, as well as fun activities and games. Despite only being in its infancy, the group has also hosted fundraising events, an Easter egg hunt, a quiz night and a midnight walk.

And Amy believes the sessions she runs with her friend Kerry Littlewood, who lost her Dad in adulthood, have been a “massive help” to Lacie and the other children, which currently range between seven and 14 years of age.

She revealed: “We do lots of different things as a group. I call it a sandwich. We start off with something fun, like some games, then we do something in the middle to do with grief or how to deal with emotions.

“From my experiences with Lacie, she really struggled to distinguish between different emotions and then how to deal with each of them. Then we always finish with something a little bit more fun, as we don’t want them to leave the group stressed out or down. We like to leave them feeling positive.

“Although the children are there because they have lost a parent, which is really sad, it’s just been really nice to be with other people that are going through something similar because Lacie always says to me, ‘Why is it just me? Why has it only happened to me?’

“She couldn’t see that there were other children out there that have gone through something similar to her and now she knows that she’s not the only one. And the other children there know that as well.

“They don’t always talk about the person that they’ve lost but just being around other people that are feeling the same feelings is just a massive help to them.

“The adults have a natter themselves over a coffee as well so it’s like we’re running two groups. They’re going through grief as well and talking about their experiences, so it’s really nice to see and it is really helping people. The feedback we have got is amazing.”

Kerry added: “Losing a parent is the hardest thing I have ever gone through, and I was an adult, which is why this group is so close to my heart.

“I can't put into words how important I think something like our group is. Coming from an adults’ perspective, I know how isolating it feels losing a parent, and a close relative.

“It’s somewhere for the children to see that they are not alone, support each other and make irreplaceable bonds. Seeing the children and parents getting on, chatting, laughing and sharing their own experiences is so special and will hopefully give them help, guidance and coping skills to carry throughout their lives.”

For more information on Brighter Grays email [email protected]