A very special community

Happy Wednesday to our brilliant 500 and (almost) Happy New Year.

2020 has been a tough year for everyone in very different ways and this group fills us with pride because we all continue to help.

Simon and Ian are both separate members of our group but came together with this nomination after hearing the story in work.

We feel this little girl and her uncle will need so much support in the future and we are thrilled to help.

With much love and kindness for 2021,

Joe, Jen, Char and Ray.

Here’s the nomination:

Dear Fellow 500,

We had this from a colleague of ours, who’s partner works in “Riverbank”, a special needs school, in Ely, Cardiff and we would like to put this forward for your consideration. We know 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone, but for this little girl it has been devastating.

Here is her story....

“My name is Jo Smith and I'm a Teaching Assistant at Riverbank School which is a special school for children with Additional Needs.

Last week one of our pupils, Seren, an 11 year old girl with autism, lost her mother to Covid-19. She also lost her grandmother to Covid-19 just the week before.

Seren lived with her mother Helen and her grandmother Jean. They were wonderful, caring and very supportive people who were loved and are missed not just by their family but also their Riverbank family.

Seren's uncle is grieving the loss of his mother and his sister but is also re-arranging his life to take care of Seren long term.

We, as a school, would like to help so have offered to raise funds in an attempt to help support them as they move forward.”

Here is the link to her fundraising page for more information: www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-seren. We are aware that she has nearly reached her target, but she will need as much funding as possible to move forward in her life ahead.

Thank you for your consideration. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

With love,

Simon & Ian