Memory of Easter Ross mum inspires trailblazing fun day at National Hotel in Dingwall for children who have been bereaved
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THE memory of a much-loved Ross-shire woman will be to the fore at a trailblazing Dingwall event for bereaved children.
A children's fun day for young people up to the age of 12 who have lost a loved one will be staged at the National Hotel on Saturday, November 12.
Jim Murray, manager at Dingwall-based D Gunn Funeral Directors, is pulling out all the stops to lay on the fun day for very poignant reasons.
His colleague and friend Stacey Hull, from Ardross, passed away earlier this year, leaving behind an eight-year-old son and three-week-old baby – and it is in her memory that he wants to do all he can to support young ones in a similar situation to her children.
He said: "We feel children sometimes get forgotten at these sad times, so by coming along we hope the children can have fun."
Children coming along on the day can look forward to meeting a fairy princess, Spider-Man and Bubbles the clown.
There will also be a bouncy castle, face painting, and craft activities to add to the fun.
"If it’s a success we will look at making it a yearly event as it’s important for bereaved children," Mr Murray said.
"We would like to thank Simpson's Garden Centre for their kind donation of seed trays and seeds, Deas the Bakers, Country Garden, Tesco Dingwall, and the National Hotel for holding the event."
The fun day is set for Saturday, November 12 when representatives from the Highland Hospice's special support service for bereaved children, Crocus, will also be on hand for anyone that wishes to speak to them about problems they are having or support that may be available.
Crocus's childhood bereavement support worker, Louise Mainland, said: "After Covid there is much more awareness of bereavement for children and young people and how their needs are incredibly important, so Jim and Fiona reached out to us and asked if we could come along, and we were more than happy to attend.
"The event actually coincides with Children's Grief Awareness Week.
"We as a service are trying to meet people in the community where they are at rather then them having to come to Inverness to our base, so this is a great opportunity to connect with people.
"It's great to have an event like this, to raise awareness that young people matter too."
And she added: "Normalisation of talking about death and dying, and having a safe space for it, is really important and supports grief as a process.
"What's important about the fun day is understanding that it's OK to remember (loved ones who have gone), but have fun at the same time."
You can find out more about Crocus Group online at https://highlandhospice.org/what-we-do/community-supportive-services/crocus.
The fun day is due to start at 11am and will run until 3pm.
