Today I helped out at a Lullaby Trust "Family Day Out" at Cadbury World. These days are for bereaved parents and their families, are free, and give everyone a chance to meet and talk to other families and Lullaby Trust staff.
I arrived at 10:30 to help Sandra (from the Lullaby Trust) with the registration and giving out tickets. My job was to hand out stickers and make sure the families knew about all the events going on in addition to the tour. I was amazed at how many people came: they had 270 signed up, and most of those were able to attend on the day. Most were families with young children (or grandchildren) and some had come from quite far.
Everyone had arrived by 12, and I then had a chance to go round the tour (and get some chocolate!) before heading to the education room. The Lullaby Trust had booked the room for an hour and a half in the afternoon, for the families to come in and have a relaxed chat.
Before attending today, I had no idea what the real benefit of these days was. Being there, it became obvious. For the families, being able to speak to others who had been through the same as them was invaluable. These days give them the opportunity to openly discuss their tragedy, without the awkwardness that must come with talking to people who haven't been through it and so can't possibly understand, no matter how hard they try.
It was great to see the number of families who came in to speak to one another, and to see how valuable the day was to them. It was also great to see how many had gone on to have more children, helped by the Lullaby Trust's "Care Of Next Infant (CONI)" scheme.
Seeing the benefits the charity brings to families was a massive reality check for me. It gave me even more motivation to succeed at these challenges this year, and raise as much money as possible. So, I have been searching for things to do....
In March I have found a 20 mile walk in Wales (http://www.threepeakstrial.co.uk/),
in July, I have found a 24 hour running race (http://www.100milerun.com/cotswold-24-hour-race/sign-up/),
who wants to join me??
I arrived at 10:30 to help Sandra (from the Lullaby Trust) with the registration and giving out tickets. My job was to hand out stickers and make sure the families knew about all the events going on in addition to the tour. I was amazed at how many people came: they had 270 signed up, and most of those were able to attend on the day. Most were families with young children (or grandchildren) and some had come from quite far.
Everyone had arrived by 12, and I then had a chance to go round the tour (and get some chocolate!) before heading to the education room. The Lullaby Trust had booked the room for an hour and a half in the afternoon, for the families to come in and have a relaxed chat.
Before attending today, I had no idea what the real benefit of these days was. Being there, it became obvious. For the families, being able to speak to others who had been through the same as them was invaluable. These days give them the opportunity to openly discuss their tragedy, without the awkwardness that must come with talking to people who haven't been through it and so can't possibly understand, no matter how hard they try.
It was great to see the number of families who came in to speak to one another, and to see how valuable the day was to them. It was also great to see how many had gone on to have more children, helped by the Lullaby Trust's "Care Of Next Infant (CONI)" scheme.
Seeing the benefits the charity brings to families was a massive reality check for me. It gave me even more motivation to succeed at these challenges this year, and raise as much money as possible. So, I have been searching for things to do....
In March I have found a 20 mile walk in Wales (http://www.threepeakstrial.co.uk/),
in July, I have found a 24 hour running race (http://www.100milerun.com/cotswold-24-hour-race/sign-up/),
who wants to join me??
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