Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.
A little known and startling set of statistics; 1 in every 29 children has lost either a parent or a sibling. 6 young people between the ages of 1 and 19 die in the UK every day. Every day, 60 children will lose a parent. This is a huge number of children mourning a parent, brother or sister, and these losses are potentially life ruining.
Losing someone you love blows a hole in your world. As an adult, grief shatters you but you have the support of friends and family, and most importantly you can ask for help when you need it. Lacking the vocabulary to express their pain, grief, and anger...children who lose a loved one can often get overlooked.
Since we lost our son, Henry James, in October 2010, we have raised funds in several ways for the NICU who worked tirelessly to save his life…. giving us a short but unforgettable time with him. We will always be grateful to the incredible team there and the work they do, continuing with our support.
Our other children were 6, 4 and 2 when Henry died. Our usefulness as parents to our 3 young children in the midst of grief was tested to the extreme and limited at times. We will be eternally grateful for the support that we and, in turn, our children also received from Child Bereavement UK.
Learning to understand our grief and ways in which to manage our loss and all it brings is invaluable for our family’s future and is the reason we have chosen to support them.Those of you who know us will appreciate we are not “natural athletes”.Paul has pedaled a “few” French and Swiss miles with his brother and some fantastic friends in the last couple of years ( Lycra photo shots on request, with donation of course!) and i’ve “Zumba’d my Bumba” for 3 hours with some incredible boys and girls ( absolutely NO shots available!) but we are a pair determined to take every opportunity to channel our love for Henry through personal challenges and events. If we can raise awareness and funds along the way then many more children and their families will benefit and, in time, heal better.
On 10th August this year we will be joined by some amazing friends and family, as we participate in the Prudential Ride 100…a grueling 100 mile cycle from London -The Surrey HILLS and back….your support is great and will make the 100 hilly and uncomfortable miles a little easier to bear and ensure that Child Bereavement UK can support more families when they suffer the life changing loss of a child, a sibling or a close relative.
Thank you!!
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