THE LITTLE

OASIS

TRUST

A little oasis in the midst of grief

Providing grants for restorative breaks to families affected by sudden, unexplained death in children

The Little Oasis Trust

Who we are

Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare. Grief, guilt, fear, anger and despair overwhelm every aspect of life. Your whole world changes forever and it can feel impossible to find a way forward.

Founded by bereaved parents, The Little Oasis Trust understands first-hand how indescribably hard it is to face re-building your life in the shadow of such unimaginable loss. We also understand, first-hand, how profoundly beneficial it can be to find a little oasis in the midst of grief.

Our charity exists to fulfill a crucial un-met need, supporting parents and families living through a truly worst-case scenario by providing grants to help fund restorative breaks. These breaks are therapeutic in nature and are intended to support recovery from emotional distress, trauma and mental ill-health following the death of a child.

Read our story

“For the first time since losing Ellie, we felt like we could find a way to live alongside our grief rather than be defined by it.”

Christiana and Luke (co-founders)

What a little oasis might be:

A short stay away from home.
Time in a peaceful, supportive environment.
A change of scenery and routine at a time when daily life feels unmanageable.

What a little oasis is not:

It’s not a holiday.
It’s not about avoiding our grief.
It’s not a cure for the pain of loss.

What a little oasis definitely is:

An opportunity to rest, restore and reconnect.
A way to remember our children, to celebrate their memory in a fresh environment.
Permission to experience moments of happiness again without diminishing our love or grief for our children.

Grief is often described as a journey – a long and difficult one. With your help, we can provide a little oasis to families in the early stages of their journey to help them find the motivation they need to keep going.

Who is eligible?

The grant will be open to parents of a child aged 1-18 years who has died suddenly and without an immediately known cause, living in the UK. It is not means-tested. Please view our ‘Contact us’ page to find out how to get in touch.

Please note, we are currently in our preliminary fundraising stage and therefore not able to accept applications until our initial target has been reached.

We are very sorry if your circumstances do not meet these eligibility requirements. This is primarily due to our capacity as a new and very small, volunteer-led charity. The loss of a child at any age and in any circumstance is life-changing and devastating, and we hope that in the future we will be able to expand our eligibility criteria to help as many bereaved families as possible.

DONATING

If you’re not in a position to donate but would like to support us in a different way, please take a look at our fundraising page to find out about how you can get involved.