Information
PROGRAMME LAUNCHED FOR BEREAVED DADS
Saints in the Community are announcing the launch of our new Sands United programme to provide a unique way for dads and other bereaved family members to come together and we’re inviting notes of interest.
The Sands United Football Club will provide a relaxed environment for bereaved dads to link up on a weekly basis through a shared love of sport and find a support network where they can feel at ease taking about their grief when they’re ready. Playing team sports has been found to help aid the grieving process by lifting our mood, giving us a focus, and ease any feelings of loneliness.
The Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (Sands) was founded by bereaved parents in 1978 who found that there was no access to support following the deaths of their babies. Sands state that every year in the UK more than 5,000 babies are stillborn or die within the first four weeks of life, while one in five pregnancies ends in a miscarriage. Sadly, every 90 minutes – the length of a football match – a family in the UK suffer the heartbreak of losing their baby before, during or shortly after birth.
In 2017, Charlotte and Rob Allen tragically lost their daughter at 39 weeks and 3 days. Subsequently, Rob used his love of football to organise a football match at Northampton Town FC in aid of the Sands Charity. Following the success of the match, the bereaved dads, uncles, and brothers decided to form the inaugural Sands United FC in 2018, playing in Northampton’s Nene Valley League. Since the formation of the project, Sands United FC has grown to over 30 teams across the UK.
With special thanks to Lindsay Hamilton, former St Johnstone defender, and his generous contribution; this project will be free to attend. It is intended this project will give members a space to immerse themselves in football and speak freely, and the successful implementation of this project within Perthshire would result in the third Sands United programme within Scotland, joining those in Edinburgh & Glasgow.
Sessions will take place weekly with an official start-date being decided in due course, but in the meantime, we ask anybody who might be interested to get in touch with us by email at projects@saintsinthecommunity.co.uk for further information.
Session Details:
- Wednesdays
- 8pm to 9pm
- McDiarmid Park
Together, let’s increase the opportunities for dads and other bereaved family members to play together and promote breaking the silence that men too often live in.