Allison Furlong
Specialisms: Suicide bereavement in children, supporting children bereaved by suicide, suicide prevention
Allison, and her now 14 year old son, Alfie, founded Alfie's Squad in 2019, a Community Interest Company that helps children, and their families, who have been bereaved by suicide.
Alfie lost his dad in May 2017 at the age of 8. He accessed counselling but really wanted peer support to help the overwhelming feeling of isolation he was experiencing with his grief.
After discovering there was no peer support anywhere in the UK for children bereaved by suicide, Alfie and Allison decided to step up and create one themselves. This led to the start of Alfie's Squad.
Allison's talks are based on how she helped her son deal with the death of his father to suicide, what her son needed and what was not available, how and why they started Alfie's Squad, and how it is now helping children and their families reduce isolation and improve self worth.
The subject Allison speaks so passionately about goes from heartbreaking to heartwarming to completely uplifting. The story of Alfie and his squads really does prove that it is possible for something good to come out of something bad.
Outside of Alfie's Squad, both Allison and Alfie are huge fans of Everton Football Club. They actually play a big part in Alfie's story.
