FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESS

We get no regular funding and most of the money we need we have to raise ourselves.  We have developed our own special ‘Smiley Face’ tombolas with special happy/sad faces which we run as a way of raising money, while also having lots of fun.  We engage with our customers and make sure our prizes are good, while offering consolation prizes where appropriate.  In a typical year we would usually run these tombolas at around twenty events and are quite well known now at some of the regular annual ones. 

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But as well as raising money, these events also help us to raise awareness of baby loss and to create a ‘safe’ environment where people can talk to us about their own baby loss.  Over the years we have chatted to hundreds of bereaved parents, many of whom have rarely or never talked about their babies, but were able to start chatting after coming over to buy tombola tickets.  One mum told us at an event that she had not spoken to anyone about her baby for over forty years – seeing us at a fair and coming over to by some tickets made it easier for her to talk about her special baby, Jennifer.  These activities really are important on both levels.

We also give talks and presentations to lots of groups and organisations including Women’s Institutes, Homestart volunteers, Children Centre staff, Samaritans volunteers, retirement and social groups, Scout and Guide volunteers, as well as 500 young people through the National Citizens Service.  Again, these events create safe environments where people can feel comfortable telling us about their own experiences, as well as learning about the figures, and the support available now days.  One talk to 15 people at a WI meeting resulted in several sharing with their group their own stories of baby loss – finding they were not as alone as they thought.

If you are involved in any group in East Kent and would like us to come along, please let us know.  We can offer anything from a five-minute slot to a couple of hours.  We never charge and are available weekdays and weekends, daytime and evening.  Do, please, also let us know of any fates and fairs etc. anywhere in East Kent that we could attend with our Smiley Face tombolas!

If you would like to get involved in some of our events, perhaps helping at a tombola, or helping with publicity, please get in touch with us for a chat.  We are quite friendly!

Donations can be made direct to our bank (account name ‘East Kent Baby Memorial Gardens Group’, sort code 23-05-80, account number 38580124), via

wwwjustgiving.com/ekbmgc

or by post to 36 Loudon Court, Ashford, Kent, TN23 3NE.

Thank you.