From the glitz of the Strictly dancefloor to his many appearances on such shows as Have I Got News for You, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and QI, Bill Bailey has been delighting audiences across the UK for decades. He also recently delighted audiences at The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse during a special event for Winston’s Wish where he raised a whopping £45,856.48 to help fund our services. 

The laughter launderer and favourite face on our television screens revealed how he first came into contact with Winston’s Wish. Bill commented, “A couple of pals of mine who died had kids who were teenagers. They were going through a tough time. It’s especially hard for kids, I mean it’s never easy for anyone, but for kids, particularly teenagers, it’s very hard because they’re going through lots of other things as well. 

“There didn’t seem to be a huge amount of support around, but this is where Winston’s Wish come in. They provide that support, so that made it feel like this is something I wanted to get involved with! I found out more about the charity and was just knocked out by the work they do!” 

As well as delighting audiences with a performance of his stand-up show ‘En route to normal’ the comedic legend also spent time chatting with Angus, a member of the Winston’s Wish Youth Team about his own bereavement experiences following the death of his mother and fellow comedy star Sean Lock.  

During the interview Bill discussed how he channels his grief through creative writing and how his grief can be triggered at the most unexpected moments, a sentiment shared by Youth Team member Angus. Bill highlighted that, “My friend Sean Lock died and there are times when I just go to text him, I see something funny and think that he’d like that. There’s a location, a piece of music, even a taste and it takes me back.” 

Bill also expressed during the video interview how comedy can have a positive effect on people when they are coping with big emotions. He said, “I’ve often had letters from people who say that they’ve been going through a tough time and they come to a comedy show and they just feel like they’re getting out of themselves. Sometimes it’s good to just have a laugh about something.” 

Watch the interview with Bill and Angus

Winston’s Wish would like to express a special thanks to Bill Bailey for his comedy night and for raising such an incredible figure to support our work.  

Estimates suggest that, each day, more than 100 children in the UK are bereaved of a parent and that figure doesn’t equate how many young people are coping with the death of another significant individual in their lives. We believe that with the right support, at the right time, bereaved young people can go on to lead full and flourishing lives. 

 If you feel inspired to be like Bill and assist Winston’s Wish in giving hope to grieving children then why not look at how you can get involved in fundraising for our charity.