We are delighted to be supporting our new, local grief play café with the donation of a range of our keepsake items. Andy’s Angels, which opened in Worthing in September, offers a safe space for children and their families who are dealing with grief.
The charity was set up by Kayla Shepherd, who lost her husband Andy suddenly in 2017. In working through their grief journey, Kayla reached out to established charities for support for the couple’s daughter Millie. With long waiting lists, Kayla found there was nowhere available to take Millie so that she could be around other children to talk about how she was feeling after losing her father. Andy’s Angels was created to provide a local, friendly support network for children and their families.
As part of the launch, the children were given “Angel Wings” grief support bags to use and take home with them. We helped by donating a range of items for the bags including cards, seed packs and Heart Tags, which the children can personalise with special messages.
Our in-house design team is also creating a special plaque for the Andy’s Angels play space which the children can sign when they visit. The plaque will be displayed at the café to help create a sense of community for the children as they attend the monthly sessions. We also presented the charity with two framed Waterline Art prints for their Reflection Room, a quiet space where family members can go away from the main play space.
After hearing about Andy’s Angels we wanted to do all that we could to help. Bereavement in children can be a very complex process, and many need time and space to talk about what has happened, ask questions and build memories, so this café will do an important job. As well as offering a variety of suitable items for the children’s support bags, we’ll also be sponsoring play sessions in the coming months and look forward to doing all we can to support this important project.
Andy’s Angels meets every last Sunday of the month at Hope Hive from 10am to 12:30pm. More information at www.andysangels.org.uk.
Photos by Cherry Red Photography
