SHADOW Health Minister and local Assembly Member Angela Burns has praised the work of local children’s bereavement support charity, Sandy Bear, following a recent meeting at the Pembroke Castle Christmas Fayre.
The Milford based charity provides support to Pembrokeshire based residents under the age of 18 who have suffered or are likely to suffer bereavement of close family or loved ones.
The charity is run by volunteers and is part of the Child Bereavement UK network and offers grief support and aims to relieve the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical distress of loss.
Commenting following the meeting, Angela said: “The loss of a loved one is devastating whatever your age and although it is an inevitable part of life, it can have a massive impact on young people.
“I am in awe of the work that the Sandy Bear organisation undertakes on a daily basis and have great respect for the efforts of the staff and volunteers.
“The isolation that a bereaved child can feel when they lose someone close to them can impact on their whole life and their future and this is especially the case at this time of year.
“We are fortunate to have such a range of charities based locally supporting the people of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire and I am determined to help bring more attention to the excellent work that they do day in, day out throughout the year. “
