A children’s bereavement support service has received a donation of £600 from Cambridgeshire Freemasons. 

The Stars Children’s Bereavement Support Service at Ormiston Families, which offers specialist support and counselling to children and young people in Cambridgeshire finding it difficult to cope with the loss of someone significant in their life, received the cheque earlier this month. 

Members of The Cantabridia Lodge in Cambridge made the donation in conjunction with fund matching from the City & University of Cambridge Masonic Charitable Trust. 

It followed an appeal made by one of the members who, as a teacher, witnessed first-hand the impact that childhood bereavement can have on their education and the transformative work that the charity provides in supporting children and young people towards brighter futures. 

Speaking of the donation, Emma Baguley-Lockwood from Ormiston Families, said: “Last year, we were able to help over 3,000 children, young people and families in the East of England. 

“Support for the Stars Children’s Bereavement Support Service is hugely important, with the service’s work needed more now than ever.” 

Ormiston Families’ services have been in especially high demand since the pandemic with some of their services having grown up to 35 per cent over the last year and several of them now with waiting lists. 

When presenting the cheque to them, Zedric Grosvenor from Cambridgeshire Freemasons said: “The work Ormiston Families does with children and young adults is very important. 

“Situations entirely beyond a child’s control can withdraw a child from continuing education, and no tragedy is as great as the loss of opportunity, access and engagement with education for a child.” 

He added: “Something that my mother persisted on before passing, was that I never missed a day of school, and I always got my studies complete before assisting with care or visiting. 

“This value of education has stuck with me into adulthood. If other children and young adults can be supported through difficult losses and see the value in their life and own education once more, then that is truly a blessing in my opinion.”