SLOW - Surviving the Loss of Your World

What SLOW - Surviving the Loss of Your World does

SLOW - Surviving the Loss of Your World is a UK-registered bereavement support charity (Charity 1161337) founded in 2007 by bereaved mothers Nicola Whitworth and Susie Hanson following their personal losses. The organisation operates three integrated service lines for two beneficiary cohorts: (1) bereaved parent support groups delivered weekly in-person in North London (Islington) and South London (Croydon and Richmond), plus weekly online groups reaching UK-wide attendance; (2) SLOWsibs 18+, a monthly online support group for adult siblings who have lost brothers or sisters; and (3) SLOWsibs Creative Workshops, monthly in-person sessions in North London for children and young people aged 7-18. All facilitators are themselves bereaved parents or siblings, including clinically credentialed practitioners such as a BACP-registered bereavement counsellor and Trustees who include a Clinical Psychologist and a Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

The operating model is deliberately non-clinical and informal: groups are self-help, open-format meetings without prescribed themes or exercises, structured around listening, sharing, and mutual understanding. SLOW does not operate any proprietary technology platform; service delivery is conducted face-to-face at three London venues or via standard videoconferencing, and the website uses off-the-shelf infrastructure (WordPress, Stripe, Cloudflare, Google Analytics). The charity holds the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (2017) and is Patronship-led by BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins and Clara Francis. Governance is provided by nine Trustees under Chair Philippa Murray (retiring June 2026), with one part-time Director (Nikki Peterson), a fundraiser, a business management assistant, and a wider bench of self-employed or volunteer facilitators.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded with all beneficiary services provided free of charge. Income, stated at approximately £200k annually, is sourced from individual donations, community fundraising events, and grants from charitable trusts and foundations including the National Lottery, Garfield Weston Foundation, The London Community Foundation, and The Tudor Trust, with some funding on 3-5 year commitments. The 2021 transition to online delivery, the 2026 Chair refresh with an explicit growth mandate, and an active research partnership with the University of Hertfordshire are the principal forward-looking strategic drivers for the organisation.

Name

SLOW - Surviving the Loss of Your World

Legal name

SLOW - Surviving the Loss of Your World

Website

https://slowgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SLOW is a UK-registered bereavement charity, founded in 2007, that runs free, peer-led support groups for bereaved parents and siblings in London and online across the UK, funded by donations and charitable grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bereavement Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

Keywords

• Bereavement support groups
• Peer support services
• Grief counseling
• Child loss support
• Sibling bereavement

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: SLOW raises funds through individual donations, community fundraising events (marathons, treks, cycling events), and direct fundraising campaigns. The charity receives support from corporate donors and uses platforms like JustGiving, PayPal, direct bank transfer, and cheque for donations.
2. Grant Funding: SLOW receives funding from charitable trusts and foundations including the National Lottery, Garfield Weston Foundation, The London Community Foundation, The Tudor Trust, and various other grant-making organizations. Income is approximately £200k annually with some funding on 3-5 year commitments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SLOW provides free, peer-led bereavement support groups for parents who have lost a child and for siblings (children aged 7-18 and adults 18+) who have lost a brother or sister. Services are delivered through in-person groups across London locations (Islington, Croydon, Richmond) and online video-conference groups across the UK, all facilitated by trained bereaved parents or siblings with lived experience of loss.

Product overview

SLOW is a UK-based bereavement charity offering a portfolio of peer support services for families who have lost a child or sibling. The core offerings consist of three integrated service lines: (1) Bereaved Parent Support Groups — weekly daytime face-to-face groups in North and South London plus weekly online evening groups for parents across the UK; (2) SLOWsibs 18+ — monthly online support groups for bereaved adult siblings aged 18+; and (3) SLOWsibs Creative Workshops — monthly in-person creative workshops for bereaved children aged 7-18. All groups are facilitated by trained bereaved parents or siblings with lived experience, operating on an open, self-help model during school term times.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SLOWsibs: Creative workshops for bereaved children aged 6-18 who have lost siblings, providing a safe space to explore feelings and build resilience.
• SLOWsibs 18+

Products and services

• Bereaved Parent Support Groups Weekly face-to-face daytime support groups in North and South London (Islington and Croydon), monthly evening groups, and weekly online video conference support groups for bereaved parents across the UK during school term time. Self-help, informal meetings facilitated by bereaved parents with lived experience.
• SLOWsibs Creative Workshops Monthly creative workshops in North London (Islington) for bereaved children aged 7-18 who have lost a brother or sister. Activities include cupcake decoration, marbling, pebble painting, body mapping, gardening, and seasonal crafts to build resilience and reduce isolation.
• SLOWsibs 18+ Support Group Monthly online support groups via video conference for bereaved adult siblings aged 18 and over, facilitated by trained bereaved sibling facilitators. Members share experiences with others who understand the loss of a brother or sister.

Quantifiable outcome

• SLOW support groups described as 'lifeline' by members
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of HertfordshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLizette Nolte, a Clinical Psychologist and researcher at University of Hertfordshire, connected with SLOW when the university became their research partner. They are conducting research to understand how grief changes over time and what has helped bereaved parents.
• East London Business AllianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConnects local charities with workers at major institutions who have interest in volunteering. Introduced Cicilia Wan and Laura Skaar to SLOW as volunteers/trustees.
• The Big AllianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIntroduced Elise Soucie to SLOW. Helps connect employees at organizations with local charities for volunteering opportunities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Child Bereavement UK: UK charity supporting families when a child dies or is dying, and supporting children bereaved of significant people. Directly comparable in target audience and professional-referral channel, with a significantly larger national footprint and service range.
• Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity): UK charity supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth. Directly comparable as a peer-led bereavement support charity for parents, with overlapping facilitator pools (e.g. one SLOW facilitator came from Sands) and similar referral pipelines from NHS maternity services.
• Winston's Wish: UK bereavement charity specifically supporting grieving children and young people up to age 25, plus their parents and professionals. Direct peer in the SLOWsibs sibling-support niche and a likely competitor for both families and funders.
• The Lullaby Trust: UK charity for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and infant bereavement support. Overlaps with SLOW's parent bereavement cohort where babies and very young children are involved, sharing NHS and health-visitor referral channels.
• Grief Encounter: UK charity supporting bereaved children, young people and their families. Direct comparator in the bereaved-sibling and bereaved-child workshop space, with a more developed national service and digital offering.
• The Compassionate Friends: UK charity offering peer support to bereaved parents and siblings after the death of a child of any age. Closely comparable service model (peer-led groups), beneficiary overlap, and a former SLOW trustee (Shushma Jain) previously volunteered for TCF.

Regional players

• Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC): UK charity offering non-directive support to parents facing decisions around antenatal screening and bereavement. Adjacent in audience (parents bereaved of babies/children) and referral pathways but focuses on the pre-/peri-loss decision stage.

Broad incumbents

• Marie Curie: Major UK end-of-life and bereavement charity providing hospice care and a bereavement support service. Larger incumbent that overlaps in bereavement support delivery but anchored in a hospice/clinical care model rather than peer-led parent groups.
• Cruse Bereavement Support: Largest UK bereavement charity, providing general bereavement support across all loss types. A broader incumbent that overlaps with SLOW on adult bereavement support but at significantly larger scale and a more clinical/volunteer-counsellor model.

Others

• Mind: Major UK mental health charity. Not a direct peer on bereavement services but a frequent cross-referral partner and competitor for general mental-health-and-grief funding; relevant for assessing the broader UK mental-health charity landscape SLOW operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/slowsupport
• Facebookfacebook.com/slowsupport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slowsupport
• Instagraminstagram.com/slowgroup

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SLOW - Surviving the Loss of Your World