It’s Time… to celebrate 1 year!
Doesn’t time fly when you’re working together to help make the world a better, more bearable place? We like to think so.
We’re delighted that this summer officially marks one whole year for It’s Time. That’s 12 months of supporting young adults who have experienced the loss of a parent.
The nature of our work means it’s always tough ensuring young adults are getting the resources they need to move forward. But, if the last year has taught us anything, it’s that happiness can always be found…even in the darkest of times. (If you can name the quote, we’ll award 10 points to Gryffindor).
To celebrate our first year of operations, we thought we’d give you a walk-through of everything we’ve been up to, what we’ve achieved and what the next twelve months looks like for It’s Time. We hope you enjoy the ride…
In May 2021 we officially launched to the public. It was a nerve-wracking but exciting moment, and we knew we had a lot of work to do. But, we were confident that we’d be doing good to help our community – those, like us, who’ve suffered the loss of a parent as a young adult. Even more importantly, we were focused on providing the resources needed to help the family, friends and institutions supporting our community, and to support them better.
June 2021 saw the launch of our “Talking about Loss” series. Telling the world that it’s time to listen and giving individuals a platform to share their story. If you’d like to, you can listen to our latest uploads here, and listen to people like you, at different stages of their journey. There’s been some inspirational contributions so far, and we know that with every story we share, someone out there listens, and more people feel seen and understood – and less alone.
In September we put our best foot forward and embarked on our first fundraiser A Walk in Memory. This saw over 150 fundraisers from across the UK, Europe and Asia unite to walk 15km to remember those they’ve lost. It was emotional, it was empowering, and most of all…it was fun. We were overwhelmed to raise £9,798 as a result, helping to support the 15% of the UK’s adults who lose a parent by the time they turn 30. Following such a successful first fundraiser, we’re excited to keep the ball rolling with organizing a whole lot more, you can keep up to date with how to get involved here.
By October 2021, things were getting serious. Helping the friends, family, colleagues and educational institutions who support those who have lost a parent is a top priority for It’s Time, and we were proud to launch our first set of Help Guides last Autumn. These guides allow the wider community to show up for young adults who have experienced parental loss in the most beneficial way possible. From providing resources to support bereaved college and students to how best to manage a bereaved employee at work, we continue to work hard on providing the right tools needed to support the young people who need it, better.
Christmas time is especially hard for those who have lost a parent, and for our young adults who need support, December is a particularly pertinent time for us as a charity to reach out to those in need. Our first campaign #ItstimeAdvent collected over 40k views via our Instagram and TikTok accounts, giving us faith that our message was being seen and heard.
2022 was soon upon us and we didn’t take our foot off the peddle. We were delighted to be invited on the Make Good Grow podcast as guests for their series Behind the Cause. Here we were able to chat about why our work is so vital for those grieving for a parent, particularly young adults, why our resources are filling a gaping hole in the support system, plus our plans for the future. You can listen here to see how we did.
By March it was clear we needed an extra pair of hands, so we welcomed Libby to the team! Bringing a breath of fresh air, and some much-needed support to the mix, Libby has been a wonderful asset to the team and is enabling It’s Time to go from strength to strength.
Once April hit it was time for the Brookman’s park Golf Club Fundraiser. An annual event run by a close family friend of one of our trustee’s, Jade, the event raises money for the hospice who took care of Jade’s dad before he passed. This year, they kindly donated all funds to It’s Time. With over 80 individuals involved in the golf tournament, plus a raffle and auction, we were thrilled to raise a whopping £10,000. A true testament to the work, effort and love put in to pulling off such a feat.
Now we’re at the summer of 2022, blowing out our Birthday candles and looking forward to the year ahead. Here’s a few things we’ve got on our hit-list:
Expanding our online community to further our reach and get our support to the right people
Launching our micro-learning courses on Mighty Networks to financial, housing, career, and health organisations so they can better support, and develop, those grieving parental loss
Continue to expand our exceptional team
Reach out to public figures who have experienced the same loss at a young age
Partner with charities who’s fundraising and support aligns with ours
Plus, in April 2023 we’re taking part in our very first running event, the London Landmarks Half Marathon. If you’d like to get involved, we have 5 spaces available, so please do get in touch to find out more.
All in all, it’s been a fantastic year, one that’s seen a lot of growth, inspiration and achievement, making us confident that we’re doing our bit to build a better world for young adults who have experienced the loss of a parent.
Kindly written by Charlotte Wilson connected via Make Good Grow
