17/01/2026
I have sat for a few days wondering whether to to say this, what happened in Bolton last week has affected me and I’ve been really worried about everyone involved.
As with many local people, I have been watching on, and reading the news about the tragic collision that happened on Sunday 11th January 2026 in Bolton.
What has happened is awful
There are people who lost their lives.
There are passengers who survived and are now living with serious and, for some, life-changing injuries.
There are families whose lives have been altered in ways they never expected.
Alongside these, the first responders and emergency service staff who attended the scene, worked through the night and following days,
supported people in hospital, and then went home carrying what they had seen.
Witnesses who were there, or arrived moments after, and are now left with images they cannot switch off.
All of these people will be affected by grief.
Grief is not only about death.
As a grief specialist, I am trained to support people who experience many different losses, often dozens over a lifetime, all of which can trigger grief responses.
A tragedy of this scale creates layers of loss.
Loss of safety.
Loss of trust.
Loss of health.
Loss of certainty.
For some, these losses will have long-term physical and mental impacts, with ripple effects into homes, families, work, relationships, confidence, and everyday life.
Communities grieve too.
People are grieving friendships.
Families are grieving the life they thought they were returning to.
And many of us are grieving the quiet sense of safety we rarely think about, like getting an Uber home after a night out.
It’s a road I use often.
I know my own children could easily have been in a taxi that night, or driving past themselves.
That’s the part that sits quietly with people.
The what ifs.
The realisation that this could have been any of us.
Mistakes can be made.
Lives can still be lost.
And people can still grieve deeply, all at the same time.
What matters now is what happens after.
How we support one another.
The language we use.
The care we take with assumptions, comments, and opinions.
Grief does not end when the headlines do.
If any of the families affected by this tragedy, including those grieving a death and those supporting loved ones with serious or life-changing injuries,
The amazing first responders, emergency services, hospital staff, and witnesses who attended or were involved on the night and are now living with the aftermath need support, let me help you.
Grief support does not look the same for everyone.
Some people need space.
Some need practical help.
Some need somewhere safe to talk, now or much later.
If support is not easily accessible, or if it would help to speak with someone outside of immediate circles, I am able to offer confidential 1-to-1 or small group support, at no cost, to families, first responders, and others directly affected - at no cost.
There is no expectation to reach out, and no pressure to be ready.
The support is there if and when it is needed.
Grief does not end when the headlines do.
And no one should have to carry this alone
