I would like to share my personal story with you, as Home-Start Teesside is very close to my family’s heart.

I first heard of Home-Start Teesside when my wonderful health visitor recognised that I was not ‘fine’, I was in fact overwhelmed by the knowledge that I was pregnant again, when my first child was just 3 months old. She offered to make a referral to Home-Start Teesside to offer some practical support in the home. I was surprised that I was eligible for support given that my husband had a good job, but they base on need rather than means testing. When I found out my pregnancy was twins, our need was even greater! Thankfully I was allocated a volunteer who was not only friendly and warm, a valuable extra pair of hands but also an experienced twin Mum herself. Sue fit right into our family and gave me some of the simplest yet most vital things such as a shower in peace and quiet, the ability to feed all children at the same time, opportunities for play that didn’t cost a fortune and opportunities to explore our local community so that my little ones had the best start in life. She showed us such love and kindness my children didn’t realise she wasn’t part of our original family, and my initial anxiety at inviting a stranger into my home soon vanished. I loved that the support came with no agenda, and was flexible and led by me and the children.

Tragically when my twins were just 1 year old, my husband lost his life to SADS whilst out running. Whilst it felt like our whole life was shattered, when I was asked who could help in that moment, I knew it was Sue. Home-Start Teesside again supported our family through the grief and new challenges, of which there were many. I know they changed my children’s lives for the better by gifting us this early support, and me also. I am often complimented on how well my 3 have turned out, and I did not do that alone, the kindness given by Home-Start Teesside and it’s volunteers helped give me strength and the children what they needed most, the opportunity to thrive, be happy and to know that there is a lot of good in our community.

I vowed early on that I would love to give back and volunteer for Home-Start Teesside as soon as I was able, which I have done by volunteering and working with families over the last few years, I can honestly say there is nothing I’d rather do with my spare time. Running the Boro 10k is going to be a physical and mental challenge for me, given the trauma the children and I suffered, I had vowed to never run again, however this cause is worth changing my mindset for, so that other families may experience the power of kindness.

If you have read to the end of my story, I’m so grateful as it took me many years to be able to speak about it. Please consider helping Home-Start Teesside by sponsoring me in the Boro 10k (just mention Sara 10k in the comments of your donation), https://localgiving.org/charity/homestartteesside, sharing the fundraising page of Home-Start Teesside, or by considering volunteering or mentioning to someone who might.

Again, most sincere thanks from me and my little ones, to all the wonderful staff and volunteers at Home-Start Teesside and our supporters, we couldn’t have done it without you.