Last year, we supported 153 bereaved children and young people - but so many more need us.
We’re looking for compassionate volunteers to join our October training and provide one-to-one grief support to children and young people in Exeter, East- and Mid-Devon.
- Full training provided
- Ongoing support from our dedicated staff team
- Flexible volunteering hours
This is your chance to truly make a difference and change lives. Contact us today for an application pack: [email protected]
Quilts have always been such an important and well loved part of our service. Thanks to the efforts of makers in a number of organisations, we are able to keep giving these beautiful gifts to bereaved young people.
Today was rather special though, as this time WE were the ones receiving a quilt of our own! Thank you so much to Amanda, Angela, Anne, Cathie, and Jenny for your wonderful gift. This amazing creation, celebrating our 20th anniversary, will hang proudly in our office for all our visitors to see ❤🎈🩵
For the April instalment of our '20 years of making a difference' series, Lola shares her story of the death of her Dad when she was just 11 years old. Having an independent space to talk helped remind her that others were there to support her and that she was not alone.
Read Lola's story here: /20-years-of-making-a-difference-april-lolas-story
Wishing the very best of luck to Hannah and James, who will be running the @londonmarathon this Sunday for Balloons! 🎈
We’ll be cheering you on every step of the way – go smash it! ❤💙
We're at the @exetercommunity Initiatives Volunteer Fair at @exetercathedral today!
If you are looking for an amazing array of volunteering opportunities, come along and have a look.
Beautiful Message-in-bottle inspired monoprints created last week at Honiton library by young people and children dealing with bereavement. This is a project with Pippa Marriott from @word_kitchen , @balloons_devon and @librariesunlimited .
Just a quick reminder about our upcoming free Family Morning, in partnership with @hospiscaredevon , on Saturday 25th April, 10am-1pm at Searle House, Exeter.
Join us for a gentle morning, where families, who have experienced any kind of bereavement, can come together in a supportive environment. There will be meaningful activities for children aged 5–16, and time for parents and carers to connect and reflect.
There is still time to sign-up (places are limited) - just pop over to our website for more information and to register your place!
/family-morning-saturday-25th-april-2026/
We'd love to see you there ❤🎈🩵
Has your family been affected by bereavement?
Join us for a gentle, supportive morning to connect, reflect, and feel less alone 🤍
📅 Saturday 25 April
🕙 10am–1pm
📍 Searle House, Exeter
💛 Free to attend
In partnership with @balloons_devon , this event offers age-appropriate activities for children (5–16), plus space for parents and carers to share and reflect.
Enjoy creative sessions, quiet moments, and a candle-lighting to remember loved ones 🕯️
Spaces are limited—booking is essential by 10 February.
We’d love to welcome you 💛
Book via the link in our bio.
#hospiscare #grief #griefjourney #bereavement
As Balloons marks 20 years, we’re sharing the stories woven into our charity’s history. This month, meet Trudi - a mum who turned personal loss into purpose, supporting other children through grief and even writing her own book, The Grief Goblin.
/20-years-of-making-a-difference-march-trudis-story/
Yesterday we held our annual Grief Support Worker volunteer conference. It was wonderful to meet up, chat, and enjoy time with both long-standing volunteers and those that are newer to the team.
It was a privilege to welcome:
- Rita Brookesmith, Death Doula from @meetingmortality who navigated us through the fascinating history of death, dying, ritual, and belief in the UK, from prehistory to the present day.
- Julia Ogden, Support Worker at the Esteem Team who shared a very moving account of her experiences working with a bereaved neurodiverse young person.
- Tamsin Ward from @drums4health , who led, and very patiently taught us, some fantastic beats with a joyous drumming workshop.
Thank you so much to all who made this a fantastically memorable day!
Did you know that Balloons has an extensive library of bereavement resources? From storybooks and practitioner manuals, to games that aid young people in talking about their emotions.
It's thanks to the generous support of our donors that we are able to keep our little library well-stocked and up to date! Do you have a book or game that you have found helpful?
Nasim had a great time catching-up with the lovely people at Mid Devon Indoor Bowls last week. We are so grateful for their spectacular donation of £1000 toward our work. Thank you so much ❤️🎈💙
