Bereavement charity 2wish launches support services locally

Bereavement charity 2wish has today officially launched the expansion of its vital support services locally, as part of a wider rollout across multiple English counties.

Just two weeks after Kensington Palace released a video of Prince William visiting the charity’s CEO Rhian Mannings MBE’s home to talk about Rhian’s experience of suddenly losing a child and her husband, 2wish is now offering services across Devon.

2wish was founded in 2012 by Rhian Mannings MBE, following the tragic loss of her baby son George. Just five days after his passing, Rhian’s husband Paul also took his own life, consumed by grief.

With no support available at that time, Rhian was left to navigate the devastation alone with her two young children. Her experience laid the foundation for 2wish – a charity born out of unimaginable loss and driven by a mission to ensure no other family walks that path alone.

Since its founding, 2wish has supported over 9519 families across Wales and parts of England.

Working closely with NHS England, Police forces, and hospital trusts, the charity has established immediate support pathways across all Emergency and Critical Care Units in the newly expanded areas. This integrated approach ensures that no bereaved family is overlooked or left without compassionate, specialist care in the aftermath of tragedy.

Speaking about the expansion, Rhian Mannings MBE said:

“We are proud to be able to extend our support to more local communities in England. We’ve seen the significant difference that we’re making to families who lose a child or young adult under certain circumstances, and we have been spending time building relationships in the hospitals and police forces of more counties, which has been a key step.

“In order to cover the demand for this new arm of the charity, we have expanded the support team to ensure that there are staff embedded in the communities accessing the support on offer. With this team in place, we are now mirroring the support services that have been running in Wales since 2012 and in several areas of England since 2024.”

Rhian continued: “Our jobs are as incredibly hard as they are rewarding. We meet devastated families at the lowest ebb of their lives. It is a hugely traumatic time and sudden loss can have a profound effect on the mental health of parents, siblings and other family members.

“We believe this support is essential and will prevent further families walking out into the night with no hope and no support. We are very proud that we are now able to extend this help and support to families on the English borders.

“I’m immensely proud of what the charity has achieved in Wales and am determined to continue to help those who find themselves in the heart-breaking position of losing a loved one under 25. 2wish Cymru will be financially independent of England and will still very much be there for the people of Wales.”

The charity has also confirmed the appointments for several roles due to the expansion.

To find out more about 2wish and its work, please visit: https://www.2wish.org.uk.

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