Darkness Means the Stars Shine Brighter

Yesterday I phoned Winston's Wish, the charity that The Pebble Garden is fundraising for, about whether they have any connections in Gloucestershire where I could run a stall. I would like to run a pebble stall in that area because my grandparents live in Stroud and I hope to take The Pebble Garden to as many places as possible. This is to signify the way that Louise has lost the freedom to experience every aspect of life, and to make decisions about the places she wants to go and the things she wants to see. I contacted Winston's Wish about it because they are based in Cheltenham, so may well have connections in the area. They have kindly agreed to help me find a venue to fundraise from, which is extremely exciting! I will let you know as soon as I get an update!

Lanzarote, one of the places Louise (left) did get to go

Winston's Wish being so helpful made me realise that I haven't explained yet why I chose to donated money raised by The Pebble Garden to Winston's Wish. Mine and my brother's memory boxes for Daddy and Louise came from Winston's Wish and formed a significant part of learning to live without Daddy and Louise because it provided a special place to keep special things. Also, one of Winston's Wish's main aims is to 'enable young people to live with their grief and build positive futures'. I am running The Pebble Garden because I want to show that whilst I find Louise's death devastating, that doesn't mean that I cannot build something beautiful out of her memory. This belief that my future can still be bright even though Louise cannot be there in person to share it with me is partly inspired by the work of Winston's Wish. I hope that the money raised by The Pebble Garden can help give hope to other young people, in the same way that it gives me hope that Louise will never be forgotten and will always have a positive impact on the lives of others.

Winston's Wish also has a 'Skyscape' on their website where children can name a star in memory of their loved one and place memories around it. I have stars for both Daddy and Louise, which means a lot to me because when we were little Daddy used to show us the constellation Orion's Belt whenever it was visible in the sky. Knowing how alone you feel when someone dies, especially when it is someone as close to you as your twin sister, makes me appreciate how critical all of Winston's Wish's work is. Having experienced something as destructive as bereavement means that I really appreciate the helpful, kind way in which Winston's Wish is supporting The Pebble Garden by looking into potential venues for me. It is made all the more valuable in the light of my own experiences. If anyone from Winston's Wish ever reads this, thank you.