As Daisy’s Dream marks 30 years of supporting bereaved children and families, it’s a moment to pause and reflect on how far the charity has come. From its humble beginnings around a kitchen table to the professional service it is today, the journey has been shaped by the passion, dedication and compassion of countless people along the way.
Longstanding volunteer Duncan has kindly taken a step back in time, speaking with other long-standing volunteers and supporters to capture a collective memory of the charity’s story. Drawing on recollections from those who were there from the early days, he has compiled an overview of Daisy’s Dream’s history over the last three decades.
Below, Duncan shares the story in his own words:
1996 – Penny Lowe’s husband Jerry suddenly died while she was pregnant with her second child and finds that there is no real local support for her bereaved son. She heard of a charity in Gloucestershire called Winston’s Wish and managed to get help for her son by using her brother’s address in Gloucester. Her son was helped greatly and a short while later she decided to set up something similar in Berkshire. In talks with Winston’s Wish, she set up Daisy’s Dream based on their model and named after her dog, Daisy. The initial work was done around Penny’s kitchen table with grant applications being completed after the children were in bed. A board of trustees was set up and a Treasurer appointed. Fundraising activities were concentrated very much in central Berkshire as there were only a very few fundraising volunteers. The Wokingham Lions club were a huge help at this early stage.
The service was initially based on a residential weekend camp for children at Ufton Court while their parents stay at Sulhamstead Police College. Activities for the children included Telling Your Story, Anger Wall, Candlelight Session, Doctor’s Slot and Night Walk. The Night Walk allowed children to walk side by side with others, including volunteers, often leading to very valuable conversations. On the final day, there was the Warm Fuzzy Tree (with warm fuzzies made painstakingly by volunteers in the weeks before), the lollipop awards and a visit from Big Daisy the Dog (performed by various husbands and sons) to provide hugs and presents! That evening the children were joined by the parents at Ufton Court to conclude the weekend, in what was always a very emotional reunion. Balloons were released with messages attached to remember loved ones.
The staffing of the weekends was originally solely by volunteers. There were many health professionals who were prepared to give their time. The volunteers were organised and led at this stage by Margaret, Clive & Ruth (the Boys family), also supported by Betty who provided the food for many of the events. Margaret was a palliative care nurse with Sue Ryder and the whole family were involved with Scouting. A six week follow up event was always held to see how they had been doing since the residential event. and there were social events in the Summer and at Christmas arranged.
As more and more referrals came in, a co-ordinator Julia and an administrator, Rachel, were appointed. Initial funding came from Children in Need in the form of a grant for 3 years salary and costs, this included the rent of an office above an elderly day centre in Twyford. Grants were also forthcoming form the Lottery and many other minor trusts. The first Family Worker was Lynn who started in 1998 and she was joined by Mo and Gill joined as in early 2000.
In 2000 Gill was the first service professional to be appointed and the office moved to Bulldog House. Sarah joined in Feb 2000 and took over Finance from Caroline in 2004. In July 2002 Gill became Project Leader and then Director in 2007. Based on the varying service needs, she started to develop the model and a number of other professional staff were appointed. This also allowed the service to progress from weekends to single day events and venues such as Wellington College, Bisham Abbey, Paths Hill and various community centres were used staffed by both professionals and volunteers. One to one sessions with the children and the professional staff were also introduced. In October 2009, the charity expanded its role and commenced a partnership with Macmillan to develop the serious illness service which was led by Lisa.
Gill carried on as Director until 2022 when she left and Laura joined as CEO and further changes were made to the services provided. Various groups were introduced to meet the changing needs of the children and parents such as teenager and parent groups and new formats are still being introduced such as grandparent and sibling loss.
In the 30 years since its inception, Daisy’s Dream has grown into a highly professional service offering help to thousands of families with a number of different complex bereavement issues. Training is given to schools and other professionals who might encounter a bereaved child. While Daisy’s Dream was originally set up solely to give help to children, it now offers support to the adults affected by the bereavement. It will be interesting and exciting to see what the next 30 years brings. At the time of writing (November 2025), the Children In Need fund raising programme on BBC TV, ended its coverage with a moving short clip covering a siblings loss group at the Daisy’s Dream office. This somehow resonates bearing in mind that the original funding for the charity came from Children In Need.
This history has been compiled from the memories of a variety of interested parties and is based on their recall over 30 years. Apologies in advance for any errors or omissions and while I am conscious that many key players have been named, many other contributors to the charity are not specifically identified, but without their effort, commitment and professionalism, Daisy’s Dream would not be where it is today and so many children and families would not have had the help and support in their “hour of need”.
November 2025
What does Daisy’s Dream mean to you?
As we celebrate our 30th year, we want to reflect not just on what we do, but on the people who make Daisy’s Dream what it is.
Whether you are someone who has been supported by Daisy’s Dream, a parent or carer, a supporter, volunteer, fundraiser, or a professional we work alongside – your story matters.
We’d love you to get involved by sharing what Daisy’s Dream means to you. You can take part by sending us:
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A short quote or message
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A photo (optional)
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A few words about why Daisy’s Dream matters to you
We’ll be sharing these stories throughout our 30th year to highlight the real impact of Daisy’s Dream and celebrate the community that has helped us reach this milestone.
To get involved, please contact our Fundraising Team at fundraising@daisysdream.org.uk
