Today, on what would've been Elliot's 12th birthday, we are incredibly proud to announce that the Sudden Unexpected Death in Children service (SUDIC) that Elliot’s Footprint co created with Forget Me Not Hospice in Huddersfield (FMN) has been shortlisted for the National Charity Awards 2022.
In 2017 we published our research identifying the needs of families after the sudden death of a child. The finding that families didn’t receive the support they needed and professionals didn’t know where to access help led to an innovative partnership with Elliot's Footprint and FMN to fund a SUDIC Family Bereavement post – the first such service within a Hospice in the UK. The service has gone on to help so many families in the immediate aftermath of the loss of their child.
Thank you to all our amazing trustees who helped make this happen, Peter and Helen our original partners at FMN who said you know ‘let’s say yes – and see what happens’. And a huge thanks to our incredible fundraisers and everyone who donated so we could fund this vital work.
Today would have been Elliot’s 12th birthday. His mum Andrea continues to live with the pain, 'I put Elliot down for his afternoon nap, he never woke up. Every day is one to navigate and live with the devastation that sits inside me. We only got to share 2 birthdays with Elliot. On the day Elliot died, we went into the hospital as a family of five and came out as a family of 4. We created Elliot’s Footprint to help bereaved families after the sudden death of their child so that they didn’t have to face the devastation alone. We set out with the hope of making a difference for at least one family. This is our legacy for you Elliot.
'With the SUDIC service now embedded in their everyday support offer within FMN we are now in exciting discussions with another charity to provide a new service for families in Leeds. So very proud of the your legacy Elliot. I will always love you more than words can ever say.'
Can you help us develop our next service and make Elliot's Footprint your Charity of the Year? And which charity or local enterprise could you ‘say yes’ to and help develop the next partnership model that will make an impact in your community?
Please get in touch at elliotsfootprint@gmail.com
