Sands has received a tremendous grant of over £95,000 from the ScottishPower Foundation, to help recruit and train more Sands Volunteer Befrienders across the UK.
Sands Volunteer Befrienders are the lifeblood of the charity. They provide indispensable support to bereaved families within their communities in the very grip of loss, who need compassion, empathy, and informed guidance.
Our Befrienders have personal experience of baby or pregnancy loss. The reassurance of talking to someone who has also been affected by the loss of a baby and who is nearby to phone, or to meet in a group, is simply invaluable.
However, whilst Sands has over 394 Befrienders across the UK, we are not currently reaching everyone. With support from the ScottishPower Foundation, we will be there for more families, so they do not have to face grief in isolation because of their postcode, ethnicity, or income.
Sadly, babies from the poorest families are 1.6 times more likely to die; and compared to white babies, Black and Black British babies, and Asian and Asian British babies, are also at least 1.6 times more likely to die. Those affected by these inequalities sometimes face additional language barriers when it comes to accessing bereavement support, so part of our focus will be to translate key resources.
We are also keen to ensure we are reaching families across all the UK and wish to build a stronger presence in key locations including Edinburgh, Paisley, Swansea, Wrexham, Liverpool, and Leicester.
The grant will help us to develop supportive spaces, resources, support groups, and translate our key Befriender support materials. We want to inspire and welcome people from all backgrounds and cultures to seek our support, or to become a Befriender.
Funding will be used to recruit and train our Befrienders to provide support and to build a safe and trusting environment, in which anyone affected by the death of a baby is able to explore and express their feelings.
ScottishPower Foundation’s generosity has enabled us to recruit a brand-new role, Befriender Programme Senior Co-ordinator, to lead these crucial developments. Kayleigh Teague will be providing support to all our Befrienders nationwide and leading the recruitment campaign to encourage more people to become a Befriender, especially in those areas where we have yet to reach.
Kayleigh says: “Grief following baby death is lifelong and complex. Without appropriate support, it may lead to the breakdown of relationships with partners or family, anxious future pregnancies, undue stress when returning to work, impact on mental and physical wellbeing. This remarkable support from the ScottishPower Foundation will help us provide a step change in reaching more families who desperately need our help. Thank you, ScottishPower Foundation.”
ScottishPower Foundation’s Executive Officer and Trustee, Melanie Hill, said; “We’re proud to support Sands’ vital work and are happy to hear our funding has enabled them to create a new role to further enhance their offering to those who rely on their services.”
About the ScottishPower Foundation
The ScottishPower Foundation is a registered Scottish charity (SC043862) and a company limited by guarantee (SC445116). The Foundation’s aim is to make a significant and lasting contribution to society and enhance the quality of life in local communities. It provides funding to registered charities for the following purposes: the advancement of education; the advancement of environmental protection; the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science; the prevention or relief of poverty and the relief of those in need by reason of disability or other disadvantage; the advancement of citizenship and community development.