Bristol writer helping grieving children 'find their voice'

An author who has made an audiobook in memory of his murdered father hopes it will help grieving children.

Mark Lemon has warned that grief could become a mental health condition if not addressed in the early stages.

He was 12 years old when his dad was stabbed multiple times in the family home in Cambridge and died.

The Magical Wood is available for free to address the need for more mental health provision for children during the pandemic.

The story, aimed at children and teenagers, is set in a Bristol woodland and follows characters that encounter friendship and loss.

The writer hopes it will "bring peace" to those who feel they "don't have a voice" to express themselves.

He said: "I always say that grief is never classed as a mental health illness but if it isn't addressed in the early stages of grief it's going to become a mental health illness.

"This recent book is a story that will give comfort to children who, like me, have lost someone close to them."

Talking about the attack on his father in 1992, Mr Lemon said he found it hard to process what had happened and as a result had "outbursts" as a teenager.

He said: "I couldn't find my voice to express my true feelings in my grief.

"Later in my adult years I got asked to write about it and it really helped as a cathartic process, it was a Pandora's box."

Sue Gallagher, head of communications and marketing for children's bereavement charity Winston's Wish, said she was pleased the audiobook had been made free at a time when "thousands of lives have been lost" due to Covid-19.

She added: "We know there are a lot of children and young people navigating their own grief and even those who have not been directly impacted are enveloped in a public discussion about death and dying."