Story
I, as many of you may know, have now retired as the MD at the Connaught Hotel and for my next challenge I am going to walk the final sector of the Camino de Santiago starting on the 19th September; a pilgrimage dating back to the 9th Century. The journey starts from Sarría in Northern Spain and finishes at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela – 125 km over 5 days – and I am hoping to raise money for the Bushy Leaze Family Support charity. I have been training as and when possible during Covid and have managed to clock up over 1200 Km in preparation for this famous pilgrimage. The Mabel Harper Charitable trust has kindly donated £2,000 to kickstart our cause and I hope you’ll join in with whatever you can afford –I’m hoping to raise another £3,000 and I really hope you’ll support me and give this small charity a really meaningful boost. https://www.bushyleaze.co.uk
Bushy Leaze Family Support ( https://www.bushyleaze.co.uk) is a charity working at the heart of the local community in the wider East Hampshire area. They work alongside local families with children aged 0-5 who need support to ensure their children have the best possible start in life. They provide an expertly staffed, caring, safe and stimulating environment to develop parenting skills, self-esteem and children’s health for families.
Since the closure of Hampshire’s Sure Start Centres in 2016 (and before they existed) Bushy Leaze has operated their family support services, independently funded entirely through voluntary donations. This enables them to:
• Run group sessions to support families with identified needs.
• Deliver targeted programmes, supporting families with specific issues such as first-time parents, families with children with special needs, developing parenting skills, cooking, breastfeeding, fathers and parents seeking to go back into employment, etc.
• Provide dedicated 1-1 support to families in crisis situations, ranging from half-an-hour advice meetings to families receiving ongoing weekly contact.
James & Monika Hadfield's personal case study:
In February 2002, our then 9-month-old daughter, was diagnosed with Optic nerve hypoplasia. Little did we know then that it was just the tip of the iceberg and there lay a very long road ahead for all of us!
The initial shock, refusal to accept and constant shying away from the public was followed by years of grieving, by anger for having had the beautiful baby girl taken away from us; until learning to realise, that, actually, what we have in our daughter is somebody very unique, special in her own way and recognising the privilege given to us of supporting her as her parents.
The welcoming, positive, inclusive and encouraging environment allowed us, as a family, to welcome another daughter in 2004 and over our near 19 years of involvement with the now Bushy Leaze Children and Families Centre, to develop into a very strong family unit, able to face the many challenges thrown under our feet.
Sadly, in October 2016, Hampshire County Council withdrew their funding. Their proposed Early Years Hubs worked on booking only and their involvement was tiered. This meant, that the majority of families accessing the service at Bushy Leaze had suddenly nowhere to go. No one to turn to at the time of greatest need, when they possessed the courage to ask for help. Our daughters were no longer attending Bushy Leaze nursery, however, we were still involved as governors.
Both of our daughters, Anezka and Amalie, were very privileged to benefit from the input of Bushy Leaze, be it the toddler group, nursery school or parent classes offered. It has allowed them to take their first steps on land or in education in a fully inclusive environment where they were recognised and valued as equals in main stream education.
James and Monika Hadfield