A mum-of-four has called for urgent reform on support for bereaved parents after the devastating loss of her husband.
Lauren Biddle, from Redditch, was aged just 41 when her husband, Andy, died from secondary stage 4 cancer in 2024.
Andy, who has been described as a "brilliant" husband and dad, had been to see his GP several times before his diagnosis due to concerns over a swollen stomach.
Lauren Biddle said: "Andy wasn't taken seriously. By mid-January, his stomach was huge, and he was eventually referred to the QE. At first, they were rude and standoffish, but the next morning, it was very different. I knew what they were about to tell us wasn't good."
Andy had to have five litres of fluid drained from his abdomen, and after a PET scan, he was told in the middle of February 2024 that he had secondary stage 4 cancer of an unknown primary source.
Ms Biddle said the family weren't told that it was terminal until the appointment for his treatment plan, when they found out Andy only had 16 months to live with chemotherapy.
After undergoing two chemotherapy treatments to help prolong his life, Andy was admitted to hospital in mid-April 2024, but the family were told there was nothing more doctors could do.
Ms Biddle said: "The chemo made him really poorly. The weight was dropping off him and he was trying to eat, but he couldn't keep it down. He spent the last two weeks at Primrose Hospice, who were amazing. Before that, they would see him in the day as he had to have fluid drained and then they would let him come home.
"He died on May 7 after a very short battle with his cancer. He was a brilliant dad and an amazing husband."
After Andy's death, the young family were left with little to no financial help and Ms Biddle, who is a qualified therapist and works at a school, has criticised the changes to support for bereaved parents since 2017.
In April 2017, Widowed Parent's Allowance was replaced with Bereavement Support Payment.
Under the previous system, support continued until the youngest child turned 18, but under the new system, widowed parents only receive the help for 18 months.
Ms Biddle, who is backing the Widow's Fight campaign to call for urgent government reform, said: "A change from 18 years to 18 months is a big difference for families. Some women on the campaign were pregnant when their partner died, so they've lost out on even more years of support.
"Payments for bereaved parents are not the same as benefits. It's not from the same pot of money. The money is from the National Insurance contributions that our partners built up and were entitled to, but will never draw from as they will never receive their pension.
"This money could be going towards helping us support our children like they were pre-2017."
Campaigners have estimated that the change to the bereaved support payments means that there has been a 92 per cent reduction in support for some families.
Ms Biddle, who has twin boys, aged 7, a son, aged 10 and a daughter, aged 16, said her husband was "scared" when he died about the financial impact it would have on his young family.
She said: "We're living day by day and month by month. I worked as a therapist, but I stopped when Andy died, as I don't feel like I can help others when I'm dealing with such an unimaginable loss and trying to support four children through their grief.
"People assume that when a partner dies, you'll be entitled to receive all this support, but that's not the reality. So many families are affected every day by the loss of a parent and a partner, but the system makes you feel like you should get over it within 18 months.
"Grief is not linear, it's a whirlpool. Some days it can subside, but most days, it can overwhelm you. It's not only me, it's my children. They are grieving for their dad, and as they get older, they will grieve the things they've missed out on with him. My daughter has been doing her GCSEs, and sometimes you think, what would they have looked like if Andy was still here?"
Ms Biddle, who was with Andy for 14 years and got married in 2022, claimed Universal Credit, but Bereavement Support Payment is taken into consideration for the last six months.
She said: "Andy still continued working when he was first diagnosed, as we couldn't afford for him to and didn't realise we could claim PIP. When we did make a benefits claim, we did it as a joint couple, so when he died, I got in touch with them straight away to ask them to make adjustments. I told them I 'didn't want to be left in a pickle'.
"Despite this, the next payment didn't come through on time and when I chased them up, they told me I hadn't told them in sufficient time. He had died in the morning, and I'd contacted them that same evening. It was appalling. I was left having to borrow money from my mum as it took them five weeks to pay me.
"I do work, but when I tried to claim Universal Credit, they said I worked too little hours and were pressuring me to job hunt for the extra hour a week. It was ridiculous, I have four grieving children and I’m struggling - there was no compassion. The system is failing bereaved families.”
Caroline Booth, whose husband Steve died from cancer in 2025, is spearheading the Widows Fight campaign, with several widowed parents going down to Parliament earlier this month to demand urgent reform of the current bereavement support system.
This includes extending the Bereavement Support Payment beyond 18 months, increasing payments in line with inflation and better recognising the long-term impact of parental bereavement on children.
She said: “The system is pushing families into financial hardship, and the changes to Widowed Parent's Allowance is penalising the children the most. My kids all do football and dance clubs. I had to tell them they couldn't go anymore as we couldn't afford it, but thankfully, the clubs have been amazing and cover the costs, so my kids don't miss out.
"All children want is to feel like any other child - getting out of the house and taking the kids to their clubs is a haven for us. It distracts us even if it’s just for a few hours a week. I don’t know what we’d do without that support. It really helps the children with their mental health.
“Losing a partner and a parent isn’t a choice. It’s not fair. I’ve got an amazing family support system around me, but not everyone has that. After 18 months, even if you’ve paid off your mortgage or have help towards rent, your other bills are all the same, but you’ve lost half your income.”
Campaigners say no child should face a financial cliff edge because a parent has died.
A petition has been set up which has already amassed over 100,000 signatures and will now be considered for a debate in Parliament.
To sign the petition visit petition.parliament.uk/petitions/752501
A spokesperson for the DWP said: "Losing a loved one is devastating and we understand the financial impact it can have on families.
"Bereavement Support Payment provides short term financial support, with higher amounts paid for those with children.
"More broadly, this government is helping to drive down the cost-of-living through the first ever sustained above inflation increase to Universal Credit, removing the two-child limit impacting 510,000 households, and initiatives such as raising the National Minimum Living wage and taking money off energy bills."
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