Tuesday 3 July 2018

The charity is just growing and growing and it makes us feel very proud to see what we have achieved.

Over the last 18 months we have seen so many changes happen with the charity. 
Our knowledge and understanding of how everything works and legal requirements has been a massive learning curve. 
None of us have had any experience in writing policies or checking legal requirements but we have had to find out and educate ourselves to make sure that everything we do is done properly. It hasn't always been easy and the long legal terms do not make for light reading, however I think we are all pretty proud of how we have grown and developed as people through this and we are now feeling much more confident in our abilities.

We have also found that the charity is now a much more known about resource for the NHS and other organisations to access. Initially I think they were a little wary as we were a new/young charity but we have shown through our dedication and determination that we are a charity that is here to stay and we want to work with other services to ensure that no family ever goes home without support in place.

When we first set up the charity we had a vision of what we wanted to achieve, we wanted no bereaved family to leave hospital without a comprehensive support package in place. 
This is still one of our main priorities but we have also developed and refined it as well as adding extra areas we want to be able to support people. As we work with more and more families and different support services we have been able to identify specific areas that are currently not being fully addressed. 
We know that it won't happen overnight and we are fully aware that it won't be easy but we are not a charity that is deterred by challenges. We have overcome lots of obstacles over the last 5 years but we have never let them defeat us. Even when we have all been sat down wondering 'what can we do now' we have never seriously thought about giving up.
We were told that many new charities 'go under' within the first 5 years due to pressures and procedures that have to be adhered to. We knew that no matter what challenges we faced we would always be driven by the handsome, angelic face of our very own angel, Charlie Arthur Curtis. Whenever I have felt myself being overwhelmed by what we needed to do I would just look at my pictures of Charlie and knew that I would never give in. I think everyone of us uses Charlie as our inspiration when we are having a 'down day'. Charlie showed courage and strength throughout his short life and if he could be that strong then we could also be strong in his memory.
I honestly think that this is what makes our charity work, it makes others realise that we are not just a charity that will fade away. Families and professionals see that we are a family that understands bereavement and that we are down to earth and are only interested in making bereavement support readily available to families as and when they need it. 
Whilst we can see that there are changes happening across the country it is not happening quick enough for us. We struggle to understand why and how the bosses are not seeing that there are to many families going without help and support following the death of their baby or child. There are more and more TV programmes that have tackled the story of child and baby loss, many doing so in a fantastic way. The acknowledgement that this happens every day and that the families desperately need help and support can only be a good thing but if the bosses in the relevant services refuse to see that it is an issue then nothing will change.
In the last 12 months there has been a few high profile families that have spoken out about their losses and an MP even stood up in parliament and spoke of her experience. Again this can only help the public and professionals see what is lacking in the provision of bereavement support. 
We have been contacted by families all across the UK and have also had families from other countries get in touch with us. We are sadly still hearing of families that are 'slipping through the net' and being left alone to struggle through. 

THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE

We acknowledge that most people do not want to talk about or hear about babies and children dying, but it is happening and it is happening on a daily basis. There are so many families every day that are having to face this and need to talk and be heard. It is a subject that makes people feel uncomfortable but the more open people are and more understanding of a bereaved families needs then the less uncomfortable it will be. 
No family ever thinks they will have to bury their child, it is not the way life should go. A bereaved family reaching out for help and support takes a huge amount of effort so if you feeling a little uncomfortable can help these families surely it is worth it. 

Charlies-Angel-Centre Foundation will continue to grow and the number of families we are able to get help and support to will also grow. 
We have always said that our 'group' of bereaved families is one that no one ever wants to join but sadly if you do then the help,comfort & support you can get connects us all together for years to come. We have seen this support come back to us as well, several families that have come to us at their most difficult time are now wanting to reach out and give back the support they got to other families. Many become trustees, others help out at events or raise funds for us. 
We hope you stay with us as we develop even further, without your support we would not be able to do everything we currently are. 

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