I am very passionate about helping and supporting children after the death of a significant family member. I was full of such mixed emotions about what I should do for my daughter Jessica after my son and her twin brother Harry died and had no idea where to turn to for help. She is his twin and because of their unique relationship, the closest that anyone would ever get to him. She knew him longer than any of us. The grief of losing a child is so overwhelming that I could have given up, but no matter how strong these feelings were, I just could not let my daughter down. After experiencing such devastation at such an early age I needed to keep focused on her and as such I researched every support and advice service available. This is what led me to begin Harry’s Rainbow. My son Harry was a blessing to me and always will be. I like to talk about him like I do about all my children and I think about him always. He will never be far from me and the love I have for him is what continues to spur me on to help others.

I became involved with Harry’s Rainbow in March 2012, after a successful start Odette and Lee were looking for a Treasurer, having had experience with this in the past I offered to help. Never at this point did I think I would come so far and be so emotionally attached to this wonderful charity, that I am now.

At the outset I arranged for the charity to become fully registered with the Charity Commission and have managed this side of the charity ever since.

Although my official title was Treasurer, I found over the years I was volunteering more and more for the charity as it was growing so fast, so when the opportunity arose to become the Fundraising and Events Manager I jumped at the chance. This role involves me generating the income needed for the charity to continue providing the support that it offers. This can be from managing the Events Team, to coordinating grant applications and establishing partnerships within the local community. No two days are the same this is why I absolutely love my job and I am able to witness first-hand the change that Harry’s Rainbow make to the bereaved children.

As a widow with a child who has experienced the death of a loved one first hand, Harry’s Rainbow have offered so much support to us both that I needed to give something back to them. I started off by volunteering with bag packing or events and that has lead to me becoming a volunteer at the monthly groups and more recently, a buddy to several families to support them through the pandemic. When I saw the post of Family Liaison Officer advertised, I had to apply. I have personal experience of bereavement as well as being very interested in children and young people’s mental health. What better way to marry the two than this? I am currently studying at a master’s level at the University of Northampton and intend to base my dissertation on bereaved teenagers. I have a real passion for ensuring these young people have a voice and can use it to influence, impact and inform ongoing support for all bereaved children. This bereavement journey does not end, and I hope to offer support, encouragement, and guidance to the families that Harry’s Rainbow do so much for. I am thrilled and proud to be part of such a caring and passionate team.

Your child dying is the worst thing that can happen to any family. Harry was a special, bright, clever and loving son. He never leaves my thoughts for a second and that's why starting Harrys Rainbow to help others gives me a way to honour his memory. I achieved a goal I never thought I could by running the London Marathon in 2011 to raise funds for Child Bereavement UK. Harry and my family were with me all the way and kept me going to the finishing line. I went on to run 2 further marathons and half marathons and organised our very first running team to fundraise for Harrys Rainbow, which raised £15,000. I will always play a large part in supporting our objectives to help bereaved children and their families, knowing that the support is offered from a family who know first hand the devastation of losing a child.

I became involved with Harry's Rainbow for the first time at Jessica's Rainbow Run in June 2019 as a volunteer face painter. I then went on to support Odette, Emma and Harry's Rainbow during Rainbow Week. I really got to see just a small percentage of the sheer amount of work they do to support young people and their families which encouraged me to get more involved. When I saw there was a volunteer position as admin support I immediately got in touch. The timing for me is perfect as my youngest child is due to start school. As well as experience with office duties, I also have experience of working with special needs children so can bring varied expertise to the team.