Stronger Together Through Football … A Fantastic Day with Hitchin Town Football Club
Football, friendship, plenty of energy, and lots of smiles!
During October half-term, we were delighted to team up with Hitchin Town Football Club for our latest Stronger Together Through… Activity Day, giving bereaved children supported by Stand-by-me the opportunity to enjoy a day of football, fun and connection.
Despite the autumn weather doing its best to challenge us, it certainly didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits! The children threw themselves into the day, taking part in football activities, learning new skills, having fun together and, importantly, enjoying the opportunity to spend time with other children who have also experienced a bereavement.
More than just a day of football
Our Activity Days are designed to offer something a little different from our therapeutic groupwork.
Grief can affect children in many different ways, and sometimes they don’t want, or need to sit down and talk about how they are feeling. Being active, creative or learning a new skill can provide another way to manage emotions, build confidence and take some much-needed time away from the pressures that bereavement can bring.
Through our Stronger Together Through… programme, we use activities such as sport, music and creativity to give children and young people a safe, supportive environment where they can connect with others, try something new and simply have fun.
Activities can become valuable coping tools too, providing an outlet for emotions, a positive distraction when things feel difficult, or simply a chance to pause, reset and focus on something they enjoy.
And sometimes the difference these days make can be summed up in something as simple, and important, as a smile.
“Thank you so much for these activity days. B really enjoyed it. And to see him smile is an amazing achievement.”
K H, Parent
Feedback like this reminds us exactly why these days matter.
A big thank you
A huge thank you to Hitchin Town Football Club for working with us to make the day possible and for helping to create such a welcoming and enjoyable experience for the children.
Thank you too to our Stand-by-me team who supported the children throughout the day, and, of course, to all the young footballers who joined us and gave everything a go!
Our Stronger Together Through… Activity Days will continue to introduce children and young people to different activities, helping them discover new interests, develop coping strategies, make connections and create positive memories.
Because bereavement support doesn’t always have to begin with a conversation.
Sometimes it can begin with kicking a football, meeting someone new, and finding a reason to smile.
Stronger Together Through… Football