Dear Sands Supporters,
We are into the final year of our three year strategy and I want to take this opportunity to say thank you on behalf of the trustees for the vital contribution you have all made to its success
Whether you have volunteered, given your time, money or voice, your support has been vital in achieving such a tremendous amount for bereaved families and saving babies lives.
It has been a fantastic two years, during which time we marked the 40th anniversary of Sands, responded to around 10,000 helpline contacts, saw more than 4,000 downloads of our bereavement support app, and most importantly helped reduce the numbers of babies dying in the UK to 14 a day – that’s 345 fewer baby deaths in 2018 than in 2017.
We’re confident that we will continue to achieve a huge amount during the final year of our current strategy.
This year we will also be developing our strategy for the next three years, to ensure our organisation continues to grow.
There are two areas I feel particularly strongly about.
Firstly, that we are all part of the Sands story. Whether someone is a member, befriender, fundraiser, service user or someone who simply feels affinity with us, we are an open, generous organisation that is there for, and listens to, everybody who needs us.
The second area is that we need to help all families, wherever they live in the UK. Losing a baby is the same whether you’re in Kent, Belfast or Glasgow. We need to be there for everyone, not provide a different level of support because some areas haven’t developed so quickly.
I also want to take the opportunity to thank our small but dedicated and passionate staff team who work tirelessly to help you help Sands. I had no idea until I became Chair how small the central staff team is, how hard they work, or how dedicated they are. They achieve a lot on very little and I am proud of the work they do, from the helpline to supporting groups to talking to government.
The next few years will be an exciting and important time for Sands. We will make sure our ongoing strategy is ambitious, is totally focused on our core aims of supporting families and saving babies lives, and builds an organisation that is able to rise to the challenge of delivering on its promises to families today and generations to come.
I hope you’ll keep supporting us in making this happen.
Best wishes,
Oliver Reichardt
Chair of Trustees