Doncaster social media star Lottie Tomlinson is charity ambassador

Lottie, the sister of One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, has worked with the charity to unveil a new mural encouraging people not to grieve alone, sharing an image of the artwork with her 3.5M Instagram followers.

Since the death of her mum, Johannah, in 2016 and her sister, Félicité, in early 2019, Lottie has supported Sue Ryder and its work helping those affected by grief.

Lottie Tomlinson said: “I want to try and help people because grief can be such a scary thing.

“You need to keep talking about it otherwise you get lost in your feelings and that can send you into a really dark place. I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for people grieving during lockdown and that’s why I really want to spread the word about Sue Ryder’s free video counselling. It is so important to keep people talking about their grief so they don’t spiral.

“I also want to help to guide people when it comes to supporting someone that is grieving because I think so many people don’t know what to say or how to act. One of the hardest things for me was people not bringing it up, it makes it even harder because you’ve lost that person and it feels like they’re fading away.”

Heidi Travis, Chief Executive at Sue Ryder, said: “We are delighted to welcome Lottie to Sue Ryder. Lottie’s courage in opening up about her experience and journey through grief will most definitely encourage others to open up too.

“It’s incredibly important for those experiencing grief to be able to talk about how they are feeling, whether that’s with a family member, friend or with one of Sue Ryder’s counsellors.”

The mural, located in Aldgate East on 130 Commercial Road, shows two hands reaching towards each other surrounded by hydrangeas. The flowers, known to survive most climates and weathers are representative of what can often be a difficult journey through grief.

Sue Ryder provides a range of online bereavement support, including free video counselling, an online community forum offering 24-hour peer to peer support and a wide range of advice and resources.

sueryder.org/support