A Hastings based bereaved couple are appealing for local volunteers to help them set up a local Sands Group, to support others whose baby has died. Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity has around 100 local Groups throughout the UK.
Dawne and Ian Braine got involved with Sands after their son George was born prematurely in May 2011 and died shortly after his birth. Last year they decided they felt ready take on the role of befrienders and in October completed their befriender training, enabling them to offer support to other families who have suffered a neonatal or stillbirth bereavement.
They are calling on anyone else in the area, who has had a baby that has died and feels they might be able to offer support to others, to join them in their efforts to set up a new Sands Group in the Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea area, by becoming a Sands Befriender, however a year must have passed since your bereavement before you will be able to train as a befriender.
Sands Befrienders are specially trained to offer one to one and Group support to others.
They are also looking for those who are good at fundraising, have great organisational skills to help on the committee as Group Secretary and those good with numbers who may be interested in becoming the Group Treasurer. You do not have to have suffered a bereavement to be a committee member.
Dawne says:
“After the death of my son I started to look for a support group in my local area that specifically dealt with families who had lost a baby, only to find that there are none available and although I had the support of my husband and family, I didn’t have anybody to talk to who had been through a similar experience.
“Eventually I made friends with some of the other bereaved parents I met at the cemetery where my son is buried and we became each others support network in those early days. In the months after his death I became painfully aware of just how many bereaved families there are in Hastings with the almost weekly arrival of a new tiny grave, I kept thinking of these families and the lack of support available and felt something needed to be done.
“Eventually I spoke to my husband Ian about becoming a befriender and initially he was worried that it may bring back painful memories for me but after we discussed it at depth for some time we both came to the conclusion that this is something that the local area needed and that we felt in a position to be able to do. For us this is George’s legacy, his time with us may have been brief, but his existence will make a difference for other families out there.”
Dawne and Ian are running support meetings in the Hastings and St Leonards on Sea area under the umbrella of Brighton Sands, another of the charity’s support Groups.
The first meeting is being held on Thursday 25th February, followed by Thursday 31St March and Thursday 28th April 2016 at 7.45pm for venue details please call: Dawne or Ian on 07493716124 or email DawneandIan@icloud.com.
If you are interested in getting involved with and helping set up a new Sands Group please contact Sands New Groups and Training Coordinator, Lorna Delayahu, on 0203 598 1927 or email lorna.delayahu@uk-sands.org.