Gym Charity Marathon | Yoga | Coffee Morning

Please donate via: V Mickleburgh is fundraising for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (justgiving.com)

How better to raise charitable funds from a slightly mad-cap gym session?! Please join us in supporting this event. It will be fun, and a great way to drop a few pounds, all for a great cause! We start our 26.2 hour training on Friday 28th July! The aim is for at least one person (or more) to be active in the gym or in a class at all times. It is £5 to enter and all money raised will go to Colchester Hospital Rosemary Suite. We will run some extra classes and these will be £5 to attend.

A timetable and sign-up sheets are up at the gym and the fee can be paid to Katy or the office.

Gym will be free to use for any Members wishing to do their routine exercise.

The Gym members of Frinton on Sea Lawn Tennis club will be taking part in a 24 hour Gym Marathon which will see the members participate in a number of classes and exercise circuits.

This gruelling challenge is to raise money for the Rosemary Bereavement Suite at Colchester general hospital.

Recently one of our members, Val Mickleburgh, lost her unborn grandson and the below words have been written by her daughter Poppie Foakes;

On Sunday 30th October 2022 Bobby Foakes was born. He wasn’t destined to play in this World.

Matt and I went to our 20 week scan expecting to find out the sex of our baby and move forward with planning for having 2 under 2! You are always led to believe that you need to get past 12 weeks and then everything is plain sailing (perhaps for a bad back and a dodgy pelvic floor!). But our world was shattered when we were told our baby had an incurable heart problem.

Within 48 hours we were rushed for further scans in London and then talked through the options, all of which did not lead to a positive outcome and so we had to make the heartbreaking decision to terminate the pregnancy, not only for our unborn child but for our toddler at home who would have had his life turned upside down.

Time wasn’t on our side as I was 21 weeks pregnant and UK law meant we couldn’t let the pregnancy go past 22 weeks if we made the decision to terminate. So during that whirlwind week we had our hand held by the bereavement team at Colchester Hospital who work out of the Rosemary Suite. We had direct numbers to the team and no question was left unanswered as we worked through this unimaginable situation.

On the day of the termination we were taken to the Rosemary Suite, a special room designed for bereaved parents, away from the delivery suite. It is a self contained unit which feels like a home away from home with a surgical room attached. Every step of the process we were treated with such respect and kindness by the team and had constant 1-2-1 care. The Rosemary Suite meant you weren’t confronted with other couples and babies and you could grieve with dignity and in private.

It was a gruelling 48 hours with some complications, but the Rosemary Suite team never left our side and they cried, laughed and supported us throughout. Afterwards, when we were ready, they bought our baby in for us to spend some time with him and say goodbye and again supported us and respected all our wishes. They gave us special keep sakes, which was such a lovely touch and made us very emotional. They then helped us organise a funeral and talked through all the options. It is something no parents should have to go too, but places like the Rosemary Suite make it slightly easier and give you a whole other support system.

So please support with a donation to this wonderful cause.

Many thanks,

Val Mickleburgh

Please donate via: V Mickleburgh is fundraising for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (justgiving.com)

Please donate via: V Mickleburgh is fundraising for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (justgiving.com)