Going on a visit to the beach is great fun, but sometimes accidents happen when we least expect them and, sadly, a person you know and love very much may die. Every year the RNLI brings 6,000 people safely ashore but sadly 200 people lose their lives around the UK beaches each year.
Be safe at the beach, have fun but always take care and be aware!

It’s always sad when someone you love and who you are close to dies.
We often call this “losing someone,” and it affects us all in different ways. Sometimes the person we love dies in an accident, which happens suddenly and is a shocking experience. You may have questions about losing someone who is close to you.

• What shall I do?
• What’s happening to me?
• Who can help?

No matter how old you are, you will be affected by a death. It is a sad and painful time.

• Try and share your feelings with someone who you feel comfortable with
• Ask questions and look for honest answers
• Ask for simple explanations in words you can understand
• Make some time and space for yourself

Being told the truth will help you cope with what has happened and allow you to move on.

For some of us the death of a loved one can mean that the world will never be quite the same again.
The way you feel is likely to change; you will probably go through different emotions and behaviours.

To begin with you may:
• Feel shocked and hurt, be unable to believe or not want to believe what you hear.
• Feel frightened and unsure about all sorts of things
• Have trouble sleeping and perhaps also have upsetting dreams that wake you up
• Go through the days without really thinking about what you are doing
• Suddenly burst into tears –try not to worry. It’s okay to cry, and sometimes it can help you feel a little better.

You will start to realise you can’t control what has happened so you may feel angry and want to blame someone. You may even feel like rejecting the person who has died and pretend you don’t care.
Don’t worry these feelings are quite normal.
You may believe that the person is not dead at all, for some children and adults this is how they deal with the stress of the situation.
Some of you may start to wet the bed, this is nothing to be ashamed of and can also happen to adults when they get very upset.

Although it could take months or even years, time will eventually help you to:

• Accept what has happened.
• Start to look forward again.
• Lessen the pain.
• Share feelings and talk easier.

There are some things you can do yourself.
You could:
• Keep a memory box to remind you of the happy times you shared together - this could include cards you have received, tickets of outings you went on together, a shell from the beach or a small piece of clothing.
• Find out about how other children coped by reading or talking to others.
• Reading stories like ‘Boy’ written by Roald Dahl may help you to think about you felt.
• Find information on the internet

You might find the following link useful:
www.winstonswish.org.uk as it offers lots of practical advice.
Go into the young people section
You can:
• Ask a question
• Write how you feel and read about how others feel too
• Send or paint a picture
• Try out some of the ideas
• Play a game
• Share your thoughts