Jacqueline Gunn Featured In Farmer’s Weekly: Her Team’s Story

Grief is part of life, but too often, it’s ignored at work. When Jacqueline Gunn lost her father, a third-generation farmer from the Yorkshire Wolds, the silence that followed was deafening. His sudden passing left her not only mourning a parent but also grappling with the deep emotional void that grief can bring, especially in tight-knit rural communities where strength is often worn as a mask.

In response, Jacqueline founded Talking About Loss, a grassroots charity helping people talk openly about bereavement. What began around her kitchen table has grown into a vital support network for those struggling in silence, particularly in agriculture, where conversations around mental health and grief are still too rare.

But one issue kept surfacing: the lack of understanding and support in the workplace.

To bridge this gap, Jacqueline launched Workplace Bereavement Advocacy Ltd. Through training, resources and a peer support model, the organisation equips companies to better support employees after a loss. From CPD-accredited courses to downloadable toolkits and 24/7 helplines, it’s designed to help workplaces become grief-informed, not grief-avoidant.

Now expanding internationally, Jacqueline and her team’s work is driving a global shift in how we handle grief at work. As she puts it, “We’re building a culture based on humanity, not just policy.”

• Read the full story as featured in Farmers Weekly.