TV ad raises awareness about child bereavement

What would you say if you had one more minute? That is the question put to children and parents as part of a new campaign by national charity Child Bereavement UK.
One More Minute campiagn by Child Bereavement UK SUS-171020-153937003One More Minute campiagn by Child Bereavement UK SUS-171020-153937003
One More Minute campiagn by Child Bereavement UK SUS-171020-153937003

The film shows a series of contributors talking about what they would say if they had one more minute with their special person who has died, and includes an 11-year-old boy, a 17-year-old girl, a widowed parent, and a bereaved couple.

It also includes bereaved celebrity friends of the charity, including its patrons Mary Berry and Jason Watkins, and Rio Ferdinand, who visited Child Bereavement UK as part of his BBC documentary Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The charity’s royal patron, The Duke of Cambridge, also takes part in the film.

Child Bereavement UK is a national charity which supports families and provides training for professionals when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement.

The charity’s chief executive, Ann Chalmers, said: “The idea behind the One More Minute campaign taps into a human truth that will help people to understand the impact of bereavement, which is exactly what Child Bereavement UK endeavours to help grieving families to face as they begin to rebuild their lives.

“The film touches on the longing that many bereaved families tell us they have, to be able to have more time with the person who has died.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Child Bereavement UK deals with a subject that many people find too unbearable to contemplate, the untimely deaths of parents and children, but every year, child bereavement is experienced by thousands of families in the UK.

“Our vision is for all families to have access to the support they need when a child grieves and when a child dies, and our One More Minute campaign gives us the opportunity to spread the word so that families are aware that bereavement support is available through organisations like ours. “

Jason Watkins, star of W1A and Safe House, whose two-and-a half year old daughter, Maude died in 2011, said: “The physical and emotional trauma of losing your child is overwhelming, but Child Bereavement UK provide a touchstone that you can access, giving you practical tools to help you carry your loss with you as you move forward.

“Child Bereavement UK’s work supporting bereaved families is vital and I am delighted to help raise awareness of their important work.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rio Ferdinand, who also features in the campaign and whose wife Rebecca died in 2015, said: “I think the work that Child Bereavement UK do is phenomenal work.

“The environment I’m from doesn’t do reaching out and emotional talking. Once I had broken that down and realised that I needed that help to help my children, I saw the benefit straight away.”

The 40 and 60 second ads will be aired across several TV channels including Alibi, Good Food, Home, Eden, Really, Drama, Yesterday, W, Gold and Channel 5.

A series of additional films, which include more bereaved families and celebrities including Ben Fogle and Joey Essex, can be watched on social media, where people are being invited to upload their own One More Minute films by tagging @Child Bereavement UK (Facebook & Instagram) / @cbukhelp (Twitter) and #onemoreminute.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Visitors to www.onemoreminute.org can watch the films, find out how to seek bereavement support or make a donation to support the charity’s work.

If you would like to share your story or let us know what you would say if you had just one more minute with your loved one, you can leave your message on our Facebook page.