This week Ben and Frazer are joined by Odette Mould MBE, grief advocate and CEO of Harry’s Rainbow, a charity that provides a variety of services to bereaved children, including support groups, retreats and memory boxes.
She began the charity after her son Harry passed away at the age of 5. He fell ill very suddenly and within three days he had passed away, which of course came as a huge shock to Odette and her family, including Harry’s twin sister Jessica.
Suffering A Bereavement
Odette had never suffered a bereavement like this before. Her first concern was to find support for Jessica, despite her own struggles with Harry’s passing. She didn’t want Jessica’s life to be defined by the trauma of losing her brother. The only support she could find was a national charity based far away, which was only able to send her a book. After a while, she found a support group in High Wycombe which was still far but more manageable.
Odette became involved in various other groups of bereaved families through this group, allowing the children to interact and play together. Odette spoke to people who showed her how to tackle difficult topics with Jessica. Odette gives the example of not telling Jessica that Harry was in his coffin, which she now believes to be a mistake. It was an attempt to protect Jessica, but with her knowledge now, Odette feels she didn’t strike the right balance between tackling the topic effectively and delivering it with sensitivity.
Setting Up Harry’s Rainbow
A year and a half after Harry’s passing, she set up Harry’s Rainbow. The initial concept was a centralising resource that would allow other bereaved parents and children to find other services that were right for them, such as books and other organisations. It soon expanded and now provides and facilitates a variety of services to almost 500 bereaved children across the country. Odette emphasises how important local support has been to them, especially within the business community.
Raising Awareness
Ben and Frazer will be supporting Harry’s Rainbow by running a half marathon with Odette next March. They call out various figures from the local business community to join them and help raise awareness. The podcast closes with an update on Jessica, who has recently done her A-levels and is now in a digital marketing apprenticeship at Mercedes. She continues to support the charity in its fundraising efforts, including abseils and skydives.
