62 Miles Walking for Hope

This January, I’m walking 62 miles — 2 miles a day  to raise awareness and much-needed funds for Fresh Minds Education, a local charity that quietly and powerfully changes lives in our community.

Fresh Minds Education ensure that every single penny donated goes straight back into the Community of Antrim. Their work supports bereaved children and families, offers the beautiful the Heartspace for community groups and partners to deliver holistic services to clients, and nurtures new parents through the Stronger from the Start Programme — support that can make a life-changing difference at the most vulnerable times.

One part of their work that is especially close to my heart is the Glimmer Boxes they curate for children who have experienced bereavement. These boxes are created with such care and tenderness, offering comfort, understanding, and a sense of being held through grief. I often think how different our journey might have been if my brothers and I had something like this when we were bereaved 27 years ago.

By walking these miles, I hope not only to raise £500 but also to shine a light on the vital work Fresh Minds Education do, work that truly matters, that stays local, and that supports families when they need it most.

Thank you for walking alongside me in spirit, for donating if you can, and for helping to raise awareness of this incredible charity

A note from Fresh Minds Education -

Your donation can help us reach grieving children in communities across Northern Ireland.

When a child loses someone or something they love, their world becomes unfamiliar and overwhelming. While adults often have the language to describe grief, children usually don’t, they hold their pain quietly, sometimes unseen.

Across Northern Ireland, accessing bereavement support can be especially difficult. Long waiting lists, limited local services, and rural isolation mean too many children don’t get the help they need when they need it most.

This is exactly where Bamber can make a difference.

And this is where you can help.

Meet Bamber

A comforting bereavement support dog created by Fresh Minds Education to support children right here at home. Bamber isn’t just a toy, they are gentle companion, a conversation starter, and a source of emotional safety for children. Through The AMBER Approach to Resilience, Bamber helps children:

• Feel grounded when emotions are too big,
• Find comfort when they can’t express their sadness, and
• Connect with parents, teachers, or trusted adults.

Bamber is one of the few bereavement support tools specifically designed to reach local children across Northern Ireland especially those who may be missed by larger, national services. Your donation will support local children directly:

• A Comfort They Can Hold
• Something warm and familiar for moments of fear, confusion, or heartbreak.
• A Way Into Difficult Conversations
• Bamber helps children open up gently, without pressure.
• A Reminder They Are Not Alone

Choose the impact you want to make

£15 – Provide one Bamber to a grieving child in a local community.

£50 – Support one family with Bamber and grief resources.

£100 – Provide Seven Bambers to a primary school so staff can support children affected by bereavement or emotional overwhelm.

Your support ensures that children across Northern Ireland, from Belfast to Ballymena, Strabane to Strangford receive comfort, connection, and care at the moments they need it most.

Other ways to help support our Community work 

£5 - Allows us to buy materials for our Glimmer Boxes

    Refreshments for our counselling sessions

    Allows us to support our volunteers who are the backbone of our charity

Reposting and Following our social media channels raises our profile within the Community and helps us to support those who really need it.

You can volunteer with us, we are always keen to welcome team members who share our values

Thanks so much for your support!