Oxfordshire Sands. January 2014 Newsletter

Transcription

1 Oxfordshire Sands January 2014 Newsletter Christmas and New Year can be an emotional time, we wish you all the very best for Welcome to our first newsletter of the year, we have a lot to share and of course are always here to offer support in any way we can. Sometimes I smile, I know you re near; It s not enough, You are not here. You left with love, When you flew away; And a piece of me Went with you that day. The years roll by, I m not the same; But in my heart, You will remain. Group Meetings during 2014: Dates for 2014 will be: 5th February 2nd April 4th June 6th August 1st October 3rd December All meetings are 7:00-9:30pm, at Bicester Children s Centre, Queens Ave, Bicester, OX26 2NR. Tel: Everyone is welcome to come along to these informal support meetings.

2 We were delighted to be Guest Speakers at Banbury Cherwell Rotary Club s meeting in September. They have chosen to fundraise for us this year and we are very grateful for their kind support and hospitality. Our presentation was well received and the Club made a surprise donation to us on the night, to kickstart their fundraising for us which will be completed later this year. Banbury Cherwell Rotary Club have a number of events lined up to raise funds for us. Please visit their website for further information Our first fundraising event in Banbury Sainsbury's store, as their Charity of the Year, was on 12 th October and was a huge success, raising money towards a baby resuscitation unit for the Horton hospital. The public enjoyed beautiful harp music whilst buying many books, gifts and 'as new' items; along with 'Guess the number of sweets' and 'Guess the name of the teddy' games. People were very generous and the total amount raised on the day was an amazing 430! Many thanks to all Other fundraising at Sainsbury s to date: Face painting: Natalie from Glittery Faces, along with Natasha and Lucinda, very kindly volunteered to face paint in Banbury Sainsbury's store foyer on Tuesday 29th October. They generously donated all profit to us as the store s Charity of the Year. They raised a total of through face painting and donations. Huge thanks! Jewellery / gift/ card sale: Thanks to Purple Sparkle Cakes, Belle s Beautiful Beads, Phoenix Cards, Witch of Stitch and Work Area Ltd who sponsored our Oxfordshire Sands Christmas cards a total of 307 was raised on 16 th November.

3 Other fundraising at Sainsbury s to date continued: KNR fingerprint jewellery raised plus an extra 100 following the event, which was held on 19 th November. Bag packing: A huge THANK YOU to all the wonderful volunteers bag packing on 22 nd December and to all the generous members of the public who kindly donated money... a whopping total of was raised! Absolutely amazing! Remembrance Service It was lovely to see so many of you at our Annual Remembrance Service on Sunday 1 st December. It really was very special to have so many children come up to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, well done to them all. Many thanks for all the kind donations we received. If you were unable to come but would like a copy of the Order of Service, we are happy to post or you one. Thank you for the positive feedback we received following the event, it is useful for future planning. If you have any feedback or possible readings, poems or personal experiences to suggest for our next Service, please get in touch. Contact info@oxfordshiresands.org.uk Uncertainty and Loss in Maternity and Neonatal Care Conference We are very grateful to Sands, BLISS and RCM for the wonderful conference on Thursday 12th September and also to Oxfordshire Sands for the kind funding for 6 midwives and 1 maternity support worker from the Horton Maternity Unit in Banbury to attend this conference. The speakers were very educational and inspiring and from this provided us all with lots of information and ideas for ways in which we can improve our own bereavement care. We hope to start implementing some of these ideas in the near future. Jenny Courtney Midwife at the Horton Hospital

4 A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us to be awarded 3,000 through the Lloyds Community Fund. Not only is this extremely valuable funding, but it has also been a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness in the local community. The money has been used to purchase a Cold Cot for the Horton Maternity Unit, which is a specialist piece of refrigerated equipment designed to keep a baby s body cool after death. The main purpose of a Cold Cot is to slow down the natural changes in the baby, giving parents more time to be with their baby to create lasting memories and make important decisions regarding their baby without feeling pressured in any way. The John Radcliffe Hospital will also soon have this equipment too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karen was extremely honoured and excited to have represented Oxfordshire Sands at a reception hosted by Samantha Cameron. The event at Number 10 Downing Street acknowledged and celebrated the work of Sands and its many volunteers. I met some amazing people and even had a quick chat with Samantha Cameron- and gave her one of our new Oxfordshire Sands Christmas cards! It was a wonderful experience! We were also very honoured to have been nominated and shortlisted for turning on the Banbury Christmas Lights in 2013

5 I am writing to say a huge thank you for the donation of 3 foetal sonicaids. The sonicaids are a vital tool in the assessment of foetal wellbeing. Your donation will ensure we are able to continue to provide safe, effective care.many thanks for your continued support, the Horton staff and the Senior Management team are very grateful and look forward to working with you in the future. Clare Pagett, Delivery Suite Manager Pictured above: Karina, Karen and Vicky standing proud as the Oxfordshire Sands Committee in its entirety! Donations From Edd Frost & Daughters Funeral Directors in Banbury From Kate and Gareth Ladd From Paul Dunn From Mr and Mrs Styles In October, Laura Bland ran the Oxford Half Marathon to raise money for us. Before she started her training, she had never run a mile before, let alone a half marathon! Congratulations and thank you to Laura. Thank you very much to everyone who sponsored me, the Oxford half marathon was hard but it was worth it as I have been able to raise 652 for this wonder charity Thank you again Laura Bland Many thanks ~ All fundraising and donations are hugely appreciated and much needed to help us carry out the work we do. We also have several projects in the pipeline, including expensive and potentially life-saving equipment for both the JR and Horton hospitals.

6 We have recently made links with KNR Fingerprint Jewellery, who are working hard to support Oxfordshire Sands in a range of ways. One of these ways is that Kirstie will donate 10% of sales to us upon request. Pictured, Karen from Oxfordshire Sands bracelet which was much admired during her visit to 10 Downing Street. There will be a Children s Charity Party held on 15th February 2pm-4pm at Woodgreen Leisure Centre in Banbury- all are welcome to join the fun. The party will be held in memory of Bella Marques and all proceeds will be donated to Oxfordshire Sands. Tickets 5 and Under 1s are free. All proceeds from ticket sales will be going to charity. Anyone who cannot attend the party but would still like to offer support, can donate online at Bignell Appeal: Blankets for Memory Boxes The hand knitted blankets in our memory boxes have a unique value. They bring the bereaved parents a personal message of love at a very confusing, painful time. The blanket may be taken home by the parents or it may be used to wrap the baby s body if the parents want this. The Sands pattern is very easy, using only garter (knit) stitch. Would you be willing to knit, or ask a friend/colleague/neighbour to knit for us? If you can help, please info@oxfordshiresands.org.uk for a knitting pattern. Many thanks.

7 In case you are not aware, Oxfordshire Sands is a committee of just 3 volunteers and 2013 was an extremely busy year resulting in a lot of hard work. Whilst this hard work is obviously worthwhile and we are grateful to those who are not in a position to be on the committee but offer their help with events, it would be great to have more people on the actual committee to help with the day to day running of the group. If you have good communication skills and are interested, or if you feel you may be suited to the role of a befriender and would be interested in befriender training, please get in touch with us. From, Karen, Vicky and Karina. Newsletter Have you considered receiving our newsletter via , so that more of the money donated to us can go towards the important work we do? If so, or if you do not wish to receive our newsletter any more, please newsletter@oxfordshiresands.org Anna and Andrew Milloy s annual Snowdrop Teas event will be happening this year at Bridge House, Shillingford. However due to the risk of more floods, they are still in the process of choosing dates. Please check the website in February for more information! Thanks Diary Dates for 2014 June is Sands Awareness Month. Our event will be on Saturday 21 st June. Sands Garden Day is held at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire. DE13 7AR is usually mid-june. National Sands organise this event and they are yet to confirm the date. International Babyloss Awareness Day and Wave of Light October 15 th Oxfordshire Sands Annual Remembrance Service Sunday 30 th November Details of further events will be shared via and will be on our website.

8 Contact Details Befrienders: Sharon, Vicky, Karen, Corinne, Jenni, Anna, Rosemary, Andrew / (Text or leave a message for a call back) befriender@oxfordshiresands.org.uk Fundraising: Karen Hancox fundraising@oxfordshiresands.org.uk General Information info@oxfordshiresands.org.uk Newsletter: newsletter@oxfordshiresands.org.uk Website: Oxfordshire Sands is run on a voluntary basis and depends on donations. It provides support to the parents and families who have lost a baby. Money raised by the Group is used to pay for the upkeep of the Ashfield suite at the John Radcliffe Hospital and the Forget-Me-Not room at the Horton Hospital, providing photographs of the babies and the cameras used, for remembrance cards and booklets, information leaflets provided, the Always Loved, Never Forgotten memory boxes, hospital equipment, midwife training, maintenance of Sands memorials in Banbury, Botley, Headington and Wolvercote cemeteries and Hardwick Hill Crematorium, plus the Books of Remembrance and the annual Service of Remembrance and Sharing. Charity registration number