My dad died in a scuba diving accident when I was 4 - now I'm running for other bereaved children

A Lancashire woman is taking on a very special run in memory of the dad she lost as a child.

Secondary school teacher Eve from Burnley - she did not want to give her surname - lost her father, Michael, aged four in a scuba diving accident. Now she is taking part in the Great Manchester Run on May 26 to raise money for Winston’s Wish - a charity which helps youngsters navigate bereavement.

This is a new Lancashire bereavement service for parents

Eave said: “At age four, my dad died in a scuba diving accident. He had been an avid traveller in his lifetime and had been scuba diving for years by the time of the accident.

“I really do not have any memories of my dad or the day that he died. My Mum tells me that I continued with my day, watching Barney videos, without any fuss. I truly do think that not having any memories of my dad has made the grief somewhat easier. However sometimes it made me feel as though my grief wasn’t valid or that I was an imposter in a world of grief, where other people seemed to have it worse than me.

The assumption that everyone has a dad

“For a lot of my childhood, the death of my dad felt swept under the rug. I actually didn’t think about it often as a young child. It wasn’t even sad feelings or grieving at this time that was the difficult part then; it was being hit with the assumption from lots of places that everyone had a dad.

“I was incredibly fortunate, however, to have the care and patience of my immediate family to help me through these difficult times. I also feel really fortunate to have had an amazing member of support staff who allowed me the safe space to navigate the grief I had. It was grief in many ways, for the person who had been lost and for the life that could have been.”

How did she learn about Winston’s Wish?

As a secondary school teacher, Eve came into contact with Winston’s Wish during one of their specialised bereaved training sessions delivered to schools across the UK to help equip education professionals to support pupils coping with grief. Eve explains, “I completed some of the training that Winston’s Wish provides and used some of the resources to support children, who were dealing with their feelings around their own bereavements. 

“Since this training, I have kept up to date with Winston’s Wish and found that I really resonated with a lot of the messages and support they shared on social media. I just feel filled with pride that Winston’s Wish are committed to supporting children and young people experiencing bereavement.”

Great Manchester Run

Speaking about the Great Manchester Run, Eve said: “I feel like wearing the Winston’s Wish vest and raising some money to support them is gratitude to those who have supported me throughout my life. It’s a wonderful thing to have been so beautifully supported in my life but by supporting Winston’s Wish, I am passing on that love and care to other people in need of support through an incredibly difficult time.

“As a teacher now, I unfortunately see too many occasions where children and young people are left to deal with their problems alone. I’m really proud to be actively supporting an amazing charity who aims to resolve this with both expertise and empathy.”

Places available

A handful of places in the Great Manchester Run are still available for people who want to represent Winston’s Wish over 10k or half marathon distances. For more information, click here.

About Winston’s Wish

Established in 1992, Winston’s Wish is the UK’s first children and young people’s bereavement charity.

Between April 2022 and March 2023 Winston’s Wish supported over 60,000 children and young people (up to the age of 25) after the death of someone important. It is estimated over 46,000 children under the age of 18 are bereaved of a parent every year.

Winston’s Wish is keen to reassure bereaved young people and their families that they are welcome to chat online, email or call for free to speak to a bereavement support worker by calling 08088 020 021, emailing [email protected] or using the live chat at winstonswish.org.