Butterflies Bereavement Support fights survival with urgent fundraising campaign

A bereavement service charity which covers Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is facing the threat of closure as it's close to running out of cash.

Butterflies Bereavement Support previously had reported having a mere six weeks of funding remaining.

A crowdfunding effort managed to raise 20 per cent of their total funding needs of £25,000.

While this funds the charity until September, additional aid is needed to keep the service afloat.

The charity provides support to grief-stricken individuals through counselling, group efforts, and telephone calls.

Julie Lamont, Butterflies Bereavement Support chair, said: "I can't stress enough the urgency of the situation and the impact it will have if we close.

"So we are urging people to step up and donate - every little will get us closer to our target."

Ms Lamont highlighted one beneficiary's testimonial as indicative of the charity's vital role: "One of our clients said it all when he thanked the charity for the support he had received and said, ‘I can now live my life again'.

"Since COVID we've seen more and more cases of people in desperate need.

"Many still feel great guilt and shame from not being able to see their loved one at the time of their death and we will see this for years to come."

The charity's origins date back to 2017 when it embarked on offering care to those affected by loss through counselling, group support, and friendship phone calls to residents of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The organisation, which operates with 60 voluntary staff members, including professional counsellors, trainee counsellors, and administrative staff, currently faces a waiting list of 40 residents requiring counselling support.

To bolster the charity's ongoing fundraising efforts, individuals have been advised to organise social fundraising events such as coffee mornings, BBQs, and cake sales.

Donations can be made on the Butterflies website or more preferably by the charity via their crowdfunding website as "donating via our website will cost the charity money, the crowdfunder site is preferred".

Their website is bflies.org.uk and the crowdfunding website is crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-butterflies-bereavement-support.