Campaign Statistics:

  • 19 Items of coverage
  • Audience Reach: 6.66 Million
  • Air Time: 127 Minutes

Shots from Sky News Sunrise 4media group were commissioned to conduct a broadcast PR campaign for Anderson Press to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Badger’s Parting Gifts. Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley was first published in 1984 and was written after Susan lost her own grandmother. Varley wanted to write something that might help. Since its publication, the book has aided many adults, parents, teachers and grandparents alike, in how to talk to children about death of any kind. The book is a sensitive, accessible story gently exploring grief and loss for young children, and their families. 

The story of the book revolves around Badger, who is so old that he knows he must soon die, so he does his best to prepare his friends. When he finally passes away, they are grief-stricken, but one by one they remember the special things he taught them during his life. By sharing their memories, they realise that although Badger is no longer with them physically, he lives on through his friends. 

Sadly, a parent of children under 18 dies every 22 minutes in the UK; around 23,600 a year. This equates to around 111 children being bereaved of a parent every day. 1 in 29 school children has been bereaved of a parent or sibling – that’s one child in every class.  

The book has won multiple awards and helped millions of children around the world deal with the difficult subject of death. Susan, herself, was awarded the Mother Goose Award for her illustrations a year after the book was first published.  Now, 35 years later, a new edition of the book is being released and features a helpful reading guide from Child Bereavement UK that provides tips for reading Badger’s Parting Gifts with children and helping them better understand grief.  

The campaign achieved widespread coverage across broadcast, print and online media.  Highlights included Sky News Sunrise, BBC Scotland, BBC Radio Lancashire, BBC Radio Jersey, BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio York, BBC Radio Cambridge, BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Oxford and many more.