Hertfordshire Community Foundation (HCF) grants over £5000 to a local youth bereavement support charity.

The funding allocation is the latest example of Herts Community Foundation's success in bringing together local businesses that care with local causes that matter.

The donation was made to HCF by Austin's Family Funeral Director's, and was allocated to Stand-by-me Bereavement support - a charity supporting bereaved children and young people in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage

Helen Gray, Director of Herts Community Foundation said: "The money granted to Stand-by-me will go towards funding ‘Contact-me’, a schools' bereavement scheme which aims to provide schools in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage with staff training to recognise the effects of bereavement in young people and the tools required to provide the support needed."

Explaining why the bereavement training project is so vital, Lead Clinical Trustee of Stand-by-me, Sandra Blacker, said: "By providing bereavement training to schools we can ensure that teachers and school staff are able to recognise the signs of grief early on so they can prevent the negative effects of bereavement that are so commonly seen with young people.

"Studies have shown that bereaved children and young people are more likely to suffer negative effects going into adulthood, such as problems with schooling and anti-social behaviour, which could be lessened if they are able to access the support they need from an early stage. This can only be done if staff members are trained to recognise the negative effects grief can have on the behaviour and mind-set of young people and they are given guidance on how best to provide the support needed."

Claire Austin, Managing Director of Austin's Family Funeral Directors and long-time supporter of Hertfordshire Community Foundation said: "Stand-by-me is a relatively young charity and their work is so valuable in supporting bereaved children and their families in our local area. We are proud to be able to support such a worthwhile project through our work with the Hertfordshire Community Foundation."

For more information on the work carried out by the Hertfordshire Community Foundation and for news on the local charities supported by the foundation, visit www.hertscf.org.uk