Grief Helpline for Social Animals

The installation is part of an ongoing project called How to Look After a Grieving Elephant (and other social animals), produced by arts organisations Wonder Arts and Heart of Glass with Willowbrook Hospice and Child Bereavement UK. Supported by Arts Council England's Creative People and Places programme and National Lottery Community Fund.

Over a series of art workshops, games and crafts, the children worked with the artist to learn about some of the ways that animals - including elephants, giraffes, whales and wolves - share their grief (inspired by the idea that some social animals change their behaviours when they lose a close companion - believed by many scientists to be a sign of grief).

The children donned safari hats and and took up notebooks to study how animals express grief in the wild, using their "field notes" to create recordings as if they were guiding listeners on how to console grieving elephants, giraffes, whales, wolves, and other social animals.

As part of National Grief Awareness Week, this thoughtful installation will now travel to different St Helens locations (see below), where the public is invited to pick up a phone receiver and listen to children's heartfelt advice on how to care for grieving animals. The Grief Helpline for Social Animals provides a wealth of information on how social animals experience grief, how to look after ourselves, and each other too. Listeners will hear children's perspectives on empathy, care, and support, shared in the warm, honest voices of young people. This installation opens up a compassionate way to consider grief and loss, inspired by the ways animals naturally support each other.

Angharad Williams, Head of Creative People and Places Programme at Heart of Glass says:
"It's been a privilege for Heart of Glass and Wonder Arts to be a part of this project. Jenny brings immeasurable compassion and magic to working with young people and the incredible team at Child Bereavement UK, creating a project which supports how grief can be discussed with insight and sensitivity. This project brings connection to an often isolating experience and our hope is that the public will pick up the phone and feel support through this gentle sharing of wisdom."

Sophie Cartwright, Regional  Bereavement Services Regional Lead - North for Child Bereavement UK said:
"The project was a lovely opportunity for bereaved young people to come together, share their experiences, and recognise that they are not alone. Through exploring how animals might grieve, the group was able to reflect on how humans can react to a bereavement and consider ways to support one another and anyone else they meet who is grieving."

Alun Owen, Executive Corporate Director at Willowbrook Hospice, said:
"Supporting children through grief is incredibly important to us. Working with Wonder Arts and Heart of Glass on 'How to Look After a Grieving Elephant' has helped local young people have vital conversations about loss. We're proud to host the next stage of this impactful project at our Living Well building and look forward to continuing to support families together."

Young participant from the group:
"The best thing about the sessions was making things, making friends and talking about Mummy"

Installation locations
Four phone installations are available for the public to experience the project at the following locations in St Helens, including:

Living Well Centre
This location will house a semi-permanent installation, creating a space for reflection and support.

St Helens Libraries
Touring St Helens Libraries until National Child Grief Awareness Week 2025 (mid-November): Dec-Jan: Haydock; Feb-Mar: Newton-le-Willows; Apr: Moss Bank; May: Thatto; Jun- Jul: Chester Lane; Aug-Sep: St Helens; Oct-Nov: Eccleston.

For more information contact Lucie Davies, Head of Marketing and Communications on lucie@heartofglass.org.uk or Sinéad Nunes, Marketing Manager on sinead@heartofglass.org.uk
 

Heart of Glass is a Merseyside-based community arts organisation. We believe that art has the power to bring us together and create real change, for the people of our community, and the place we call home. Through collaboration and conversation, we bring meaningful art projects to the most surprising of spaces throughout St Helens, Knowsley and beyond. Our philosophy is simple: art belongs everywhere, to everyone. 

heartofglass.org.uk

Wonder Arts is a charity and arts organisation who believe that magical, artistic experiences have the power to change peoples lives. They create wonderfully unique experiences for children, young people, and families across the North West - inspiring wonder and delight, transforming lives and communities. 

Jenny Gaskell is an artist who makes performances and participatory art.She is interested in connection, art that happens in everyday places and creating scenarios for people to take agency. Her work involves writing, hosting, listening, making audio, designing rituals and thinking about how to hold various types of grief. It is often intimate, funny, tender, conceptual, confessional and gives reverence to everyday interactions. Jenny has an ongoing obsession with customer service providers. https://www.jennygaskell.com/

Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. The charity supports children and young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying. Child Bereavement UK provides training to professionals in health and social care, education, and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families. For support and guidance visit: www.childbereavementuk.org or call 0800 02 888 40. 

Willowbrook Hospiceis a specialist palliative care unit based in Prescot providing quality care and support for patients, their families and the community. https://willowbrook.org.uk/