Businesses are being invited to help create a rainbow over Milton Keynes to help support bereaved children.
November 18 marks the start of Children’s Grief Awareness Week and local charity Harry’s Rainbow is asking as many people as possible to come up with ideas for fundraising events to raise not only awareness, but also vital funding for its work.
Schools will be holding ‘dress-down’ days where children wear their brightest clothes or dye their hair crazy colours in return for a donation. And Harry’s Rainbow has invited businesses to do the same, or use their imagination to organise any kind of rainbow- themed event to mark the occasion.
Harry’s Rainbow is a Milton Keynes-based charity that offers support groups, trips, events, holidays and mental health support to children who’ve lost a parent or sibling. It costs almost £650 a year for Harry’s Rainbow to support just one child.
Alison Johnson, Fundraising and Events Manager at Harry’s Rainbow, said: “We don’t ever want to have to say No to a bereaved child that is referred to us in need of help, but our services are in increasing demand. All our supporters in Milton Keynes can help us to say Yes by planning their own fundraiser, or joining us on some of the events during the week.
“Our hope is that everyone will make it as colourful a week as possible and turn Milton Keynes into a rainbow city.”
Children’s Grief Awareness Week runs from November 18 to 24 and Harry’s Rainbow will be out and about throughout the week, spreading the word about the vital work the charity does. The charity’s team will be at the following venues:
- November 18: John Lewis, Place to Eat Cafe
- November 19: Unity Place, by the restaurants
- November 20: Safari MK soft play centre
- November 21 – Frosts Garden Centre, where staff will also be fundraising throughout the week.
- November 22 – Gulliver’s Land MK, which will be holding its Land of Lights event from October through to February. Tickets are available via the link on this page to attend the 6pm session on Friday November 22. A donation of £2 from every ticket sold will go to Harry’s Rainbow.
- November 23 – Stantonbury Leisure Centre, where Jets Roller Skating will be holding rainbow roller skating sessions for visitors.
Alison added: “What we’d like is for everyone taking part in any of these events, or running their own fundraisers – raffles, bake sales, sponsored events – to take lots of photographs for social media and tag #ChildrensGriefAwarenessWeek and @harrysrainbow and help us create a rainbow of colour across the whole of Milton Keynes.
“And if any other venues or businesses would like to find out more about how they can help, or that want to become Friends of Harry’s Rainbow, we’d love to hear from them.”
Contact Alison Johnson on fundraising@harrysrainbow.co.uk or find out more about Harry’s Rainbow on their website.
To buy tickets for the Gulliver’s Land MK event on November 22 visit here.
