Oscar was referred to Sandy Bear Children’s Bereavement Charity in November 2019 following the death of his grandad, Liam. Oscar and his mum, Mairead, completed the full support programme at Sandy Bear and they talk openly about their bereavement and the support they received.
Mairead shares, “A few months after Liam’s death, we were into the Covid-19 lock down. Everything stopped.. We began to receive phone calls from the Sandy Bear team to check in on how we were. They sent us books to read to help us through the loss of Oscar’s grandad. The books provided us with activities to do together which also reminded us that we needed to talk to each other. The team were also kind and delivered Oscar Easter eggs and teddy bears during a time when he needed it most.”
Once Covid-19 restrictions began to lift, Oscar and Mairead were invited to attend their bereavement support groups.
“Oscar and I were invited to attend 6 bereavement support group sessions at Sandy Bear. I went to drop Oscar off, thinking the sessions were just for the children, but I also attended a group along with other parents and carers. I met other people there who were also ‘keeping their chins up’ to help keep their children’s chins up. We chatted, drank lots of tea, shared our stories, cried and laughed – A LOT! The children also came together who had experienced similar bereavements. They shared their stories and did different activities together and are now all very good friends.”
This year, for Oscar’s 11th birthday, he decided he wanted to do something different instead of receiving presents from his loved ones.
“Oscar is a very kind person and he has always shared. As a toddler, if he was given a treat, he would only accept it if his sister could also have a treat. For his birthday this year, he didn’t want any presents and just wanted to have fun with his friends. He knew people would still want to give him presents, so instead, he asked them not to buy anything but donate money for him to give to Sandy Bear. He is so thankful for how the team helped him and he just wanted to give them something back.”
Oscar raised £140 for Sandy Bear Children’s Bereavement Charity. He came and presented the money to the people who helped him through his grief, as well as providing them with sweet treats! Not only that, Oscar recently received the ‘Commissioner’s Commendation Award’ for his exceptional support of Sandy Bear – which was signed by Bear Grylls! – as well as his fundraising badge, at the 1st Kilgetty Scout Group.
