2025 has been one of the hardest in the history of Sandy Bear Children's Bereavement Charity.

The Pembrokeshire charity based in Milford Haven began the year with a full team, full hearts and a sense of determination.

There was hope that the charity could meet its very ambitious targets for fundraising, for new grants, for volunteer recruitment and for the growth needed to reach more bereaved children across Wales.

For anyone who may not know the story, Sandy Bear began life as an NHS service.

When financial pressures led to its closure, a small group of committed and passionate people refused to let the idea of specialist bereavement support for children disappear.

Through the dedication of people who know how valuable a service Sandy Bear offers, and with the help of early trustees and supporters, Sandy Bear was rebuilt as a charity that could stand on its own.

Today that passion continues, driven by its staff, trustees and the families who trust the charity during the most painful moments of their lives.

But this year has tested Sandy Bear more than any other.

Across the UK there are more than one hundred and seventy thousand registered charities, alongside thousands of community groups delivering vital support. Donor fatigue is at an all-time high.

The public are being asked to help so many causes at once, during a period when life is already financially difficult for many. At the same time, referrals to Sandy Bear have increased to levels never seen before.

More than half of the children and young people it supports have experienced a death by suicide. More than 20% are living with bereavement linked to drug or alcohol misuse. The age group most affected is six to fifteen.

The charity is also seeing a rise in anticipatory grief, where families know a death is coming after a difficult diagnosis.

This is the reality of life in Wales today. Loss is happening earlier, more suddenly and more traumatically. And children feel it deeply.

In the early part of this year the charity faced increasing costs, reduced funding and a rapidly growing workload.

It created a perfect storm which no one wanted or expected. The leadership team tried everything possible to protect our practitioners and to shield the children and families from the impact of these pressures, but we still found ourselves facing difficult decisions.

A small number of roles were lost. It was devastating for the organisation and incredibly painful for the people affected.

Chief Executive, Lee Barnett, described it as one of the toughest periods Sandy Bear has ever lived through.

“It was heartbreaking,” he said. “We knew how much pressure our team were under, and we knew how much families needed us. But we also knew we had to take decisive action if this charity was going to survive and continue to support children across Wales. We had to steady the ship to protect the future.”

Supported by a strengthened Board of Trustees, the organisation began to rebuild. The senior management team worked tirelessly to stabilise finances and restructure the charity in a way that protected frontline support as much as possible.

Its practitioners, who are the beating heart of Sandy Bear, regrouped with remarkable compassion and creativity. They rethought processes, explored new ways of working and did everything possible to reduce the waiting list.

And then something beautiful happened...

Communities stepped up. Supporters stepped up. Companies stepped up. Volunteers stepped up. Wales stepped up!

People ran marathons, signed up for Ironman challenges, jumped out of planes, held coffee mornings, organised football matches and found every creative way possible to raise money.

Local businesses donated what they could. Some gave small amounts. Others gave much more. But every contribution mattered. Town and Community Councils across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Swansea made donations at the moment it was needed most.

These contributions helped Sandy Bear keep the lights on, pay staff, buy resources and ensure families were not left without support in their darkest moments.

Vital support was also received from larger partners including - Valero, Ascona Group, local YFC groups, and Haverfordwest County AFC.

Politicians across Wales also stepped forward, including Ben Lake MP, Henry Tufnell MP, Sam Kurtz MS, Paul Davies MS and Eluned Morgan, and many others.

Their involvement and advocacy helped raise awareness of the critical importance of bereavement support and the pressure the third sector is under.

Slowly, carefully, step by step, things began to turn around.

As Lee Barnett explained: “We survived because our communities refused to let us fall.

“By the late part of the year, the waiting list was reducing. The team was finding its rhythm again. Finances had stabilised. Hope returned.”

Martin Jones, the charity’s Business Development Manager and Finance Lead, said: “It costs half a million pounds every year to keep Sandy Bear running. These are not high salaries or luxury costs. This is practitioners, venues, travel, resources, safeguarding, insurance and the most basic essentials that keep a service alive.

“More than eighty percent of every penny raised goes directly back into supporting the children and young people who need us.

“People often underestimate how much a small charity can achieve. But the truth is that the third sector is full of miracle workers. They do the impossible every day.”

The impact speaks for itself. Every year, the support provided by Sandy Bear prevents family breakdowns, reduces the risk of drug and alcohol misuse, lowers the likelihood of suicide attempts, supports young people to stay in education and prevents many from entering the criminal justice system or needing urgent NHS intervention.

Independent analysis shows that its support, which costs around five hundred thousand pounds a year, creates more than twenty million pounds of economic benefit for the wider community.

But more important than any statistic is this simple truth. When children receive the right help, at the right time, they grow into adults with hope, resilience and belief in their own future.

They go on to take their place in the world with confidence. They carry their loss with them, but it no longer stops them from moving forward.

That is why Sandy Bear exists.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “As we reach the end of 2025, we want to say thank you to every person who has supported us. Thank you for every donation, every event, every conversation, every message of encouragement and every act of kindness.

“Thank you for helping us survive our toughest year so that we can be here for families facing their toughest days. And now we ask again for your help.

“If you can volunteer, we would love to hear from you. If you can fundraise, we will support you every step of the way. If your business or organisation can help contribute to our 2026 costs, you will be making a life changing difference to children across Wales.

“But even if you cannot donate or volunteer, you can still help us. Sharing our social media posts makes a massive difference to our visibility and helps more families find the support they need. It costs nothing, but it genuinely helps save lives.”

You can visit www.sandybear.co.uk or email: [email protected] to get involved.