Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As most of you know I suddenly lost my first husband Andrew Dickinson aged 31 in May 2014, only 12 days before my second son Benjamin was born and my first son Henry was only two and half at the time. Andrew had a cardiac arrest after he had gone for a run and died of sudden adult death. I got remarried to a new partner Simon in 2018. Simon had lost his wife Emily in 2015 to cancer and had two twin girls Jasmine and Ashley who were age 4 at the time. We moved into together in Dec 2017 into a new house in Botley and started life as a new family of 6 together. 

The children are now older, but their loss of their parent is still something we are helping them with, and will always be part of their life story and ours as a family. Simon took the girls to Simon Says bereavement sessions when they were 4, the girls have always talked about how good the sessions were. The sessions had clearly made an impact even though they were little. The girls are now 10, Henry 9 (nearly 10) and Ben is 7. We started going back to Simon Says once covid allowed them to re start their sessions. These monthly bereavement sessions started back  in June and the kids went in July and September 2021. We plan to continue to go for the next year and see how it goes while the children are really enjoying the sessions and getting something out of it and their questions answered about death and their lost parent and their emotions are being explored. 

I am running the Great South run for Simon Says to help support this amazing charity that are supporting our family lots. I damaged my big toe (left foot) with ligament damage in February 2021 and wasn't mobile for a few weeks and my fitness deteriorated because of that and the lockdowns. But I have been training again a bit in August and more so September. So I am probably not as quick as I was (I ran the Great South run 10miles in October 2018) but I am hoping to make the ten miles around Portsmouth. So any support would be really appreciated to this amazing charity that support local families.  

Simon Says aims are to support Hampshire children and young people up to the age of 18 years who have a significant person in their life who has died or is dying.  When children are dealing with the death of someone close, they may feel angry, guilty, frightened and alone. It can be very difficult for a parent, carer, close relative or friend to help a bereaved child when they are grieving too. Simon Says aims to: Offer information and advice to move forward in their lives, but never to forget their significant person, Run a telephone support line, Host monthly age appropriate support groups, Offer the opportunity to meet other families who have also been bereaved, Support and give advice and training to teachers, and other professionals working with bereaved children and young people, Host an Annual Residential weekend for up to 45 children and young people.

https://www.simonsays.org.uk/about-us/

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