Let's Raise Some Funds For Grief Encounter!

Why I'm Fundraising

Right! Let’s raise some money! I’ll start by telling you a bit about why I am getting involved in this. In 2017 my little sister Harriet passed away shortly after graduating as a midwife. She was the one person in my life who was always there. She understood. In the midst of grief I turned to destructive coping mechanisms which affected my mental health more than I ever would have thought possible. I lost all sense of purpose, identity and hope, spiralling into isolated depression and turning my back on life. This is a common and devastating repercussion of losing a loved one and many people struggle to find a way out. My creative nature helped me explore, communicate and understand my difficult emotions and Grief Encounter help empower this process in others.

Creating Happiness

Grief Encounter supports children, young people and families affected by bereavement. This can be especially important when those who are grieving are unable to rely on their usual support network which has been similarly disrupted by the loss. Grief Encounter utilises therapeutic creative workshops where trauma and grief can be processed through mediums such as art, music, play and poetry. Personally, processing trauma through songwriting has been my number one tool to understand the complex emotions tied to grief. Writing my thoughts and feelings and reflecting on them with melody and song facilitates acceptance. So, I believe it is vital to nurture spaces where people feel safe to express themselves creatively and freely, as Grief Encounter is a charity that centres on this belief I wish to support them on their mission.

The Challenge

I will be trekking up to 20k a day for 3 days up Slovenia's largest peaks. I am proud to now be an ambassador of Grief Encounter and am extremely excited about the work we will do together to help people stuck in the grips of grief. During this trek I want to raise awareness around the importance of finding peace of mind to empower self expression. The open air clears the mind and relaxes the body, easing the pain that can so easily stifle the creative process. Your money will go towards the £10,000 Grief Encounter programme which includes workshops where children and families are supported creatively through art, drama, music and play therapy. This is a HUGE goal, so I’m starting with a target of £2,500 with the hope of raising much more in the future.

Always Together

I’d like to end on this. Last month, my dear friend Olly passed away in a tragic accident weeks before his wedding. We shared so many incredible memories together and one of our highlights was walking the Great Wall of China together to raise money for charity. I am doing this in honour of both Harriet and Olly and I know they will be walking by my side every step of the way. This is the real magic of what Grief Encounter do.

How Your donation Could Help

£10 - Specialist bereavement storybook

£20 - Creative grief-book for exploring grief

£100 - 1:1 therapy session with a qualified counsellor

£250 - Group counselling session for bereaved families

£500 - Family weekend at a residential camp for bereaved families

THANK YOU

We would be grateful for any donations, little or large, and on behalf of myself, Grief encounter and anybody who has lossed a loved one, we thank you from the depths of our hearts.