The story of Sunbeams
25 Year Anniversary Stories
“There wasn’t anything else out there to support bereaved children. They had nowhere to go” Cath tells us as she explains the motivation behind setting up Rotherham Hospice’s Sunbeams Children’s Bereavement Group almost 10 years ago.
A group for supporting children who have suffered a bereavement had been spoken about for some time at the Hospice, and Cath wanted any version of the group to be informal, welcoming and friendly.
After discussions, the idea that emerged was to create an activity-based group for children to keep their minds busy and active whilst also talking and dealing with feelings and emotions associated with the loss of a loved one.
And in September 2011 Sunbeams was created.
Originally Cath and Liz worked in their spare time to develop Sunbeams, and each month the first group met with 7 children participating. After a while, in 2015 it became clear that more time was needed to be spent on Sunbeams, and Cath moved to work on Sunbeams full time.
“We started to get referrals fast, and so we held groups once a fortnight instead of once a month”.
The increase in referrals highlighted to Cath and Liz that there was a real need for a bereavement support programme specifically for children, and since 2011, Sunbeams has supported over 340 children.
“We started to get referrals fast, and so we held groups once a fortnight instead of once a month”.
The increase in referrals highlighted to Cath and Liz that there was a real need for a bereavement support programme specifically for children, and since 2011, Sunbeams has supported over 340 children.
Over the years Sunbeams has grown and become a vital service that Rotherham Hospice provides. In 2017 Sunbeams opened its own Sunbeams Hut in the Hospice gardens, kindly funded by Eurovia and the Rotary Club of Rotherham for furnishing. The hut offers a welcoming, quiet, creative environment for the group to meet. Mary came on board as a member of staff for Sunbeams soon after, but she had supported Sunbeams as a volunteer since the beginning.
The group play games, they develop their creative sides with arts and crafts, and if you were to wander through our Hospice gardens today, you’d see butterflies on the fence created by the Sunbeams children. Cath tells us that none of this could be possible without the wonderful volunteers who come along to the groups to ensure it runs smoothly.
“Our volunteers are amazing. We couldn’t do it without them”.
This past year – 2020 – has been a challenge on so many fronts, and Sunbeams hasn’t been immune to the difficulties caused by the global pandemic. In the first couple of months Sunbeams had to be put on hold as staff and resources were deployed elsewhere. Though despite the challenge, Cath, Mary and Liz made sure that families knew that Sunbeams was here for them if they needed us.
This February – 2021 – limited online support has been back up and running for Sunbeams, offering support over phone and webcam. Though Cath says that face-to-face group time has so many more benefits;
“You can see it on the kids faces when they realise they can share experiences with each other and know they’re not alone”.
As the World moves back toward a sense of normality, the future of Sunbeams is bright and we look forward to keeping you all updated as it moves into its next decade of providing a vital support service for children in Rotherham.
How can you help?
There are many ways you can support us, whether it be through holding an event, playing in our lottery, volunteering, or donating!
