Isle Of Wight Charity Volunteers Win Bel Mooney Award For Raising Awareness

Local volunteers Kaylee Hargreaves, Sammy Bridges, and Paris Kelynack from the Isle of Wight have been named as the winners of a Bel Mooney Award for Raising Awareness by the pregnancy and baby loss charity 'Sands'. 

The Sands Volunteer Awards Ceremony was held at the Sands Garden Day, at the National Memorial Arboretum on Saturday, 7 June. 

Sands’ Chief Executive Clea Harmer and Sands’ co-founder and Patron Bel Mooney presented the winners with an engraved trophy and a certificate, signed by Clea

and Sands’ Director of Volunteering and Bereavement Support Jen Coates.

Kaylee, Sammy and Paris are volunteers with Isle of Wight Sands.

They have been recognised for working tirelessly to bring the Isle of Wight Sands support group back to the island so that bereaved families can access the support they need.

As part of their work in bringing back the Isle of Wight Sands support group, Kaylee, Sammy, and Paris organised their first Starlight Walk, an opportunity for bereaved families to come together under the night sky and walk in memory of all their babies.

Sammy said:

“Volunteering with Sands has shown me just how powerful it can be to just listen.

"I feel that one of the greatest impacts we can have is to sit with someone in their grief, say their baby’s name, and honour their story. In those moments, we offer love, validation, and the reminder that they are not alone."

Sands’ Chief Executive Clea Harmer said:

“Volunteers are at the heart of our community and so much of the work we do to save babies’ lives and support bereaved families would not be possible without their commitment and dedication.

"Kaylee, Sammy and Paris have made such a difference in the Isle of Wight, and this shone through in their nomination. 

“Thank you to everyone who nominated a Sands Volunteer for an award. We had so many amazing nominations come through, from all across the UK.

"We are always keen to hear from more people who would like to give their time to support our work so if you’ve been inspired by Stephen, we’d love to hear from you.” 

 This year, Sands named two awards after Sands’ Patrons, Bel Mooney and Hazelanne Lewis. 

Bel and Hazelanne, along with a small group of fellow bereaved parents, founded Sands over 45 years ago.

Thanks to their dedication and vision, Sands has gone on to grow to become the organisation it is today, doing incredible work that continues to make an impact across all our communities.

The Bel Mooney Award for Raising Awareness and the Hazelanne Lewis Award for Leadership will ensure we continue to honour their legacy, by recognising the contributions of Sands volunteers. 

Bel Mooney said:

“Kaylee, Sammy and Paris have worked tirelessly to bring support back to bereaved families on the Isle of Wight.

"One in two of us, or somebody we know, has experienced the loss of a pregnancy or death of a baby.

"Talking and writing about baby loss is not easy but it’s vital that parents’ voices are heard so that other bereaved families know they are not alone, and their experiences help improve care and save more babies' lives.

“Thank you to all three amazing volunteers for doing so much to break the silence around pregnancy and baby loss.”

The Garden Day is an opportunity to celebrate and connect the Sands community, with the

Volunteer Awards and a chance to find out more about Sands' work in the morning.

In the afternoon a Remembrance Event was held for all babies, helping families and individuals to find hope.

The Sands Garden is dedicated to the memory of all babies who have died. At the heart of the garden is a Portland stone sculpture of a baby, created by the respected sculptor John Roberts.

This year marks the 25th anniversary since the Sands Garden opened at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Find out more about volunteering with Sands at www.sands.org.uk/volunteering