John Smith Mum-of-one, Jo Sharp, 54, said many families are being left in the lurch, but unaware, until their hour of need. With little to no awareness around BSP across the general population, Jo, backed by Nottinghamshire funeral firm AW Lymn, is calling for an overhaul of the system and conversations to be had before the death of a loved one. Formerly known as the widowed parents' allowance (WPA), bereaved families were entitled to financial support from the Government.