I’m really delighted to announce that I’ve been nominated for Widowed and Young’s Helen Bailey Award, which is for writing on grief. I knew about the award a little while ago, but today received a lovely card from the charity with some of my nominators’ words inside, which I find very moving!

kind words… and no, my thumb is not actually filthy – weird lighting! 🙂

I write for myself, of course, but I do also write to connect with other people – people who share in grief, and also to help people outside the strange universe of bereavement understand a little of what it is like.

I’ll be attending the AGM in Glasgow in September when the award is given out, and I hope I might see some of you there!

Also, a note. Helen Bailey was a professional writer and also a widow, and by all accounts was a lovely person. She thought she had found happiness again when she met her new partner, who was also widowed. Instead Ian Stewart murdered his wife and hid her body, where she lay undiscovered for months. An investigation was then opened into the death of his first wife, who had been thought to have died of natural causes, and he was found guilty of her murder too. I’m glad that WAY, of which Helen (like me) was a member, decided to honour her through this award – something that evil man can’t touch. I hope it provides a consolation of some small sort for her family, to know that she is remembered for what she loved doing, not just how she died.