BAGS FOR STRIFE IS A CHARITY SET UP BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES TO SUICIDE. THEY HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED BLAME, ANGER, GUILT AND SADNESS. NOW THEY WANT TO SHARE WHAT HELPS THEM, TO HELP THOSE WHOSE JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN.
BLAME
ANGER
GUILT
SADNESS
OUR STORY
Our charity was set up by people who have lost someone to suicide. At the time of our loss we were struck by the lack of accessible support and having reached out to others who have been through similar circumstances, we realised that our experience was not unique.
We know that everyone’s grief is personal. Some people may want help in the first few days to navigate their way through the practical elements that must be faced, others may want to reach out for emotional support, and some may stumble and fall weeks or months or years after their tragedy.
BAGS will aim to provide practical and emotional support both for the short and long term.
WHAT’S IN THE BAG?
The contents of the bags will be tailored to what you need in both the immediate term and longer term, ranging from the practical to the emotional.
We’ve found sourcing practical guidance in the aftermath can be difficult. We hope that bringing a step-by-step guide and links to support services all into one place will make the practical side of things that little bit easier. You’ll need to lean on family and friends to help out so we’ve also written some advice for them so they know how they can support.
Our charity is run by people who have experience of suicide bereavement, whether that be as family, friends or colleagues. So we wanted to share each of our personal stories to be opened as little or as often as you need, in the hope that you will feel there are people by your side who are going through a similar thing.
Self-care is incredibly important in the initial days and weeks of grieving, but can often fall by the wayside. You’ll find sleep spray, a water bottle, lip balm, tissues in the bag too - just a few things we know would have helped us.
FUNDRAISING
To raise money to fund the contents of the bags and their distribution to the police service and hospitals, one of our founders and her good pal set off on a 5-day, 100 mile run from Leeds to the Lake District, They stomped across the Dales Way and camped overnight to get to the final stop in Windermere.
