Volunteer awarded Manchester University’s highest honour for service to bereaved parents

Jo Richler, a remarkable volunteer, community leader, and educator, has been awarded the University of Manchester’s prestigious Medal of Honour.

This non-degree accolade is reserved for individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the community, and Jo’s tireless work in the areas of education, parental bereavement, and support for those affected by pregnancy and baby loss has earned her this well-deserved recognition.

For over thirty years, Jo has been a lifeline of support and empathy for bereaved parents, volunteering with Manchester Sands, a local support group affiliated with Sands, the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity.

In 2016, Jo became the co-chair of Manchester Sands, a role in which she has co-led numerous initiatives, including the groundbreaking Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss project with The Whitworth Art Gallery.

Jo’s dedication to bereaved parents is deeply personal. “I started as a bereaved parent myself,” she shared.

“Then I trained as a group defender, meeting leader, and facilitator of workshops with trainee midwives and consultants. The role has evolved based on the need.”

Her involvement in Manchester Sands began with her own tragic experience of baby loss, which has since fuelled her commitment to helping others navigate this difficult journey.

Supporting Bereaved Parents: The Work of Manchester Sands

One of the cornerstones of Jo’s work with Manchester Sands is ensuring that bereaved parents receive immediate support after their loss. “The most important thing, I think, is being there,” she said.

“We work with bereavement midwives so that when parents leave after suffering their traumatic loss, they aren’t going home without a next step. Our aim is that every parent knows there are peer support meetings happening.”

Manchester Sands offers two peer support meetings each month—one online and one face-to-face—allowing parents to connect with others who have shared similar experiences.

Jo emphasises the significance of these gatherings: “When you look at the statistics of baby loss, it’s significant.

One in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, and stillbirths also have a high percentage. Parents arrive at a meeting and realize they aren’t alone in this world; they are surrounded by people who understand because we’ve all been through it.”

Jo’s ability to create a safe, non-judgmental space for bereaved parents to share their experiences is at the heart of Manchester Sands’ mission. “Everyone’s journey and reaction to trauma will be different,” she notes. “We don’t judge people’s reactions; it’s non-judgmental and supportive, allowing parents to take their own journey.”

Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss

In 2018, Jo collaborated with Lucy Turner from The Whitworth Art Gallery to create Still Parents: Life After Baby Loss, a project that combines art and bereavement support in a powerful and healing way.

Lucy, also a bereaved parent, wanted to offer a creative outlet for parents who had experienced loss.

The project offered bereaved parents the opportunity to engage in various art forms, including clay, embroidery, and other mediums, under the guidance of professional artists.

These sessions are not intended as art therapy but as a means of creative expression.

The project gained momentum, and even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the workshops continued via Zoom, with participants producing incredible work that has since been showcased in an installation at The Whitworth.

Jo reflects on the impact of the project: “Apart from Sands peer support meetings, this project involves art forms that allow parents to connect with their emotions in a different way.

“The quality of the work has been so outstanding that we were able to create an installation at The Whitworth, featuring both inspirational and participant artwork. It became a very special exhibition.”

The Still Parents exhibition has also served as a space for remembrance, prominently displaying the names of over 300 babies submitted by parents. Jo highlights the importance of this visibility for bereaved families: “This visibility is very important to parents who often feel their babies are forgotten. In the Still Parents exhibition, we made sure those names were visible, honouring their memory.”

The power of community and recognition

Jo’s dedication to supporting others through their darkest moments is deeply rooted in her own experience.

She draws strength from the community of bereaved parents she has helped to create.

“Being in a room with people whose journey you never thought you’d share is the most supportive environment imaginable,” she said.

“Everyone in that room understands. We share many stories about things that happened at work or what friends said, and it creates a sense of solidarity.”

This sense of community is what drives Jo to continue her work with Sands.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed, and being awarded the Medal of Honour by the University of Manchester was a moment of profound recognition.

“It’s a huge shock,” Jo admitted.

“I volunteer, especially in multi-faith environments, not for recognition but because giving back is part of who we are.”

For Jo, receiving the Medal of Honour is a testament to the power of community and support.

She likens her experience to climbing a mountain: “When I joined Sands, it wasn’t just about bereaved parents; there were also pregnant women dealing with anxiety. Those women were like climbers who had already started scaling the mountain of grief, and they extended a hand to help me start my climb.”

Jo’s metaphor of climbing a mountain is an apt description of her journey.

She sees herself as one of many climbers, each helping others on their path. “Receiving the Medal of Honour feels like being another climber extending a hand to help others on their journey,” she said.

A life of service in education

Beyond her work with Sands, Jo is also an accomplished educator and consultant. She is the Lead Consultant at Ciel Associates, an educational consultancy focused on the management of change, with a particular emphasis on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

Her expertise in this area is informed by her own experiences as a parent and her commitment to ensuring that children with SEND receive the support they need.

Jo’s journey in education began after an initial career as a musician in the theatre and as Composer-in-Residence in Wigan for the Arts in Schools initiative.

She later earned a PGCE at The University of Manchester and an MSc in Education Management from Manchester Metropolitan University. Her deep commitment to education is further evidenced by her status as an Accredited Member of the Society of Education Consultants and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

In her leisure time, Jo enjoys navigating the Cheshire waterways on her narrowboat with her husband Paul and their dog Bertie—a fitting escape for someone whose life is dedicated to helping others.

Jo Richler’s legacy is one of compassion, resilience, and support for those who have experienced unimaginable loss.

Through her work with Manchester Sands, the Still Parents project, and her contributions to education, Jo has touched countless lives.

Her recognition with the University of Manchester’s Medal of Honour is a well-deserved tribute to her decades of service and her commitment to building a community where no one has to navigate the journey of bereavement alone.

You can find out more about the work of Manchester Sands by clicking here