CEO of Luna Foundation reflects on 2022 and has high hopes for her mission next year

It’s been an incredible year for me.

In March I set up Luna Foundation, a social enterprise dedicated to transforming the support for children who lose a parent to suicide. Born out of personal experience of my dad taking his own life, and my Churchill Fellowship research on parental suicide, Luna is a vehicle for positive change.

It’s been amazing to see Luna grow from an embryonic idea into a fully functioning not-for-profit with contracts to deliver training across six regions in 2022.

One highlight was delivering our Luna Suicide Bereavement Training to Emotional Literacy Support Assistants from schools across Portsmouth. This has started to create a web of support for children when a parent takes their own life in our area, and that means the world to me.

We’ve set up the Luna Lived Experience Network to give a voice to people who lost a parent to suicide as a child, and this group of amazing individuals from across the country is already playing a vital role.

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I was chosen to be part of the Sound Delivery Media Spokesperson Programme, designed to amplify the voices of people with experience of social issues to create change. This opportunity led to me recording a Four Thought talk on my experience of parental suicide for BBC Radio 4. Since the programme hit the airwaves, sharing my mission with a nationwide audience, I’ve been inundated with messages of support and solidarity.

Another highlight of 2022 was being awarded the Viscount De L’Isle Award by The Churchill Fellowship, recognising me as the Churchill Fellow. Being presented with this award by Sir Nicholas Soames, Sir Winston Churchill’s grandson, was particularly special.

This year I’ve been working with Dame Caroline Dinenage MP to highlight the needs of children bereaved by parental suicide in Parliament. We’ve been working together to table a Westminster Hall debate.

My main hope for next year is that we start to count how many children lose a parent to suicide across the UK, a vital first step in ensuring they receive the support they need and deserve. Our Time to Count campaign is driving this urgent call for change, and when I’m on a mission there’s no stopping me.

In 2023, I hope we see an end to the endless political turmoil as the constant changes in ministerial posts create a barrier to our important work for suicide-bereaved children.

Next year is going to be a big one for Luna as we’ll celebrate our first anniversary and roll out Luna Suicide Bereavement Training to people working with young people across the country. I hope we’ll continue to break down the wall of silence around parental suicide, so that children don’t face the same isolation and stigma that I experienced.

I’m full of hope that we will drive forward our mission to improve the support for children left behind after suicide in 2023.

For me there’s only one way to start a New Year, and as always, my plan is to leap into the icy Solent at the Gafirs’ New Year’s Day Dip at Stokes Bay.