About Cruse

Cruse Bereavement Care was founded in 1959 in Richmond upon Thames and is the leading national charity for bereaved people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Our vision is that all bereaved people have somewhere to turn when someone dies.
Our mission is to offer support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies and  to enhance society’s care of bereaved people.
Our values: At Cruse Bereavement Care we are Responsive, Compassionate, Respectful, Supportive and Innovative.

Cruse offers face-to-face, telephone, email and website support. We have a Freephone national helpline and local services, and a website (hopeagain.org.uk) specifically for children and young people. Our services are provided by our network of 5,000 trained volunteers and are confidential and free. Cruse also provides training and consultancy for external organisations and for those who may encounter bereaved people in the course of their work. Read our latest Annual Review to find out more about the impact of our work.

Cruse Bereavement Care is committed to being a diverse and inclusive charity that is accessible to all sections of society. 

The origins of Cruse

Our 60 Years of Cruse timeline tells our story from our beginnings running clubs for widows from our founder's house in Kew, to a charity with an international reputation Find out more, including where we got our name, how we have helped in times of crisis, such as after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, and how we have expanded to support hundreds of thousands of people each year. Read more