Charity

Sandy Bear in 2025: The year Wales refused to let childhood grief win

Published

3 months ago

December 3, 2025

Tom Sinclair

CHARITY SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE MONTH

ON a grey morning in March 2025, Lee Barnett pressed send on the email no charity chief ever wants to write.

Sandy Bear Children’s Bereavement Charity – one of only two specialist services for grieving children in the whole of Wales – was just a few months from closing its doors for good.

“We were staring at the end,” Barnett says. “We knew families needed us more than ever. We also knew the money had simply run out.”

Across Britain, thousands of charities are limping through the same cost-of-living storm. For Sandy Bear the stakes were uniquely cruel: stop the service and hundreds of Welsh children bereaved by suicide, addiction or sudden death would be left with nothing.

This is the story of how Wales refused to let that happen.

Born from heartbreak

Sandy Bear began life inside the NHS. When health-board cuts killed the original service, a handful of staff and volunteers would not let it die. They rebuilt it, pound by pound, because they had seen what happens to children when no one catches them.

One parent later wrote: “Sandy Bear was the string that stitched our hearts back together and made it possible to smile again.”

For many families, that line is not poetry. It is survival.

A perfect storm

2025 hit the charity from every angle.

Referrals doubled post-pandemic to more than 100 a month. Over half the children had lost someone to suicide; another 20% to drugs or alcohol. The sharpest rise was among six- to fifteen-year-olds.

At the same time, grants dried up, inflation hammered running costs, and exhausted staff carried impossible caseloads. Waiting lists lengthened. The board took the agonising decision to lose a handful of posts.

“It felt like we were choosing which children we could help,” Barnett says.

**Martin Jones and First Minister Eluned Morga**n

Then Wales stepped up

What happened next stunned even the people inside the building.

Village halls filled with cake sales. Runners pounded pavements in Sandy Bear vests. Skydivers leapt for the cause. Town and community councils in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Swansea sent emergency cheques that – in the charity’s own words – “literally kept the lights on”.

Businesses followed: Valero, Ascona Group, Young Farmers Clubs, Haverfordwest County AFC. Footballer Joe Allen visited the centre and posed for photos with children who had lost parents.

Politicians of every stripe turned up too. Plaid Cymru’s Ben Lake, Labour’s Henry Tufnell and Eluned Morgan, Conservatives Sam Kurtz and Paul Davies – rivals who rarely agree – stood shoulder to shoulder in briefing rooms and on site visits, sounding the alarm in Westminster and the Senedd.

“It was the most united I’ve ever seen Welsh politics on anything,” says business development manager Martin Jones.

***Sandy Bear Haverfordwest County Partnership***

The hidden £20 million payback

Sandy Bear runs on roughly £500,000 a year – loose change in government terms.

Independent analysis values its work at more than £20 million annually in prevented costs: fewer family breakdowns, fewer addictions, fewer youth suicide attempts, fewer kids excluded from school, fewer A&E dashes and police call-outs.

Most of that saving never makes the headlines, because the crises never happen.

***Footballer Joe Allen Visiting Bereaved child, Connor Bishop***

From red to resilient

By autumn the haemorrhage had stopped. New funding streams opened. Staff rewrote support models. Waiting lists began, slowly, to shrink.

“We survived,” Barnett says, “because our communities refused to let us fall.”

***Henry Tufnell MP*** ***showing his support to Sandy Bear on a video call with*** ***Martin Jones***

But the crisis is not over

Demand is still climbing. The charity must raise half a million pounds every single year just to stand still. More than 80p in every pound donated reaches the frontline.

And childhood bereavement is not going away. If anything, the causes – suicide, overdose, sudden death – are rising.

The team at Sandy Bear want Wales to face a hard truth: grief itself is not the enemy. Unsupported grief is.

***Sandy Bear Senior Management Team – Martin Jones, Karen Codd and Lee Barnett, the CEO***

A quiet ask for 2026

As Christmas approaches, the charity’s final message of 2025 is deliberately low-key.

They thank every runner, every donor, every councillor, every MP, every child who sold cakes outside the school gate.

And then they ask – without drama – for the help to continue.

A tenner a month. A share on social media. A volunteer afternoon. A conversation with your MS or MP.

Because, as they gently remind us:

“Liking, sharing and commenting costs nothing, but it genuinely helps save lives.”

This Christmas, hold your loved ones close.

Somewhere in Wales tonight, a child who cannot do that is still hoping someone will help them find their way back to the light.

And in 2025, Wales proved it could be that someone.

**Ben Lake MP** ***on a video call with*** ***Martin Jones***

Charity

Long service awards for Tenby surf lifesavers

Published

21 hours ago

February 17, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Three volunteers recognised for years of dedication to keeping beachgoers safe

THREE long-serving members of Tenby Surf Life Saving Club have been recognised for their commitment and dedication, receiving Long Service Awards at the charity’s recent presentation evening.

Jules Rilston, Angelo Fecci and Ian Badham were each honoured for their sustained contributions to surf lifesaving in Tenby over many years of voluntary service.

Club chairman Tai Jackson thanked the trio for their commitment to the club and the wider lifesaving movement on behalf of the committee and members.

Tenby Surf Life Saving Club is a volunteer-led, not-for-profit registered charity and one of 31 volunteer lifeguard clubs across Wales. During 2025, its lifesavers delivered 188 hours of volunteer patrols and assisted 113 people along the coastline.

The club also runs a youth education programme, known as Nippers and Junior Lifesaving, which provided more than 104 hours of training to 60 local children last year. Young participants are taught vital water safety skills, first aid knowledge and how to enjoy water sports safely and sustainably.

The club is currently recruiting new volunteers to support both frontline lifesaving activities and essential behind-the-scenes roles, including committee positions and fundraising support.

Charity

Concert at St Davids Cathedral to support hospice care in Pembrokeshire

Published

1 day ago

February 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

MUSIC lovers in Pembrokeshire are being invited to enjoy a special lunchtime concert at St Davids Cathedral later this month, with proceeds supporting the Paul Sartori Foundation’s hospice-at-home services.

The event, hosted by Totally Vocal Pembrokeshire, will take place on Saturday (Feb 21) at 1:00pm and will bring together local singing groups in the cathedral’s historic setting. The concert will also feature internationally renowned a cappella leader Deke Sharon.

Sharon, often described as the “godfather” of contemporary a cappella, is best known for his work on the hit Pitch Perfect films. His return to Pembrokeshire follows a successful workshop visit in late 2025 at the invitation of Pembrokeshire Pop Voices.

The local choir has chosen the Paul Sartori Foundation as one of its charities of the year and has been raising funds through a range of musical initiatives. Before Christmas, the group released a charity single titled Love the Bones of You, with proceeds helping to support hospice care across the county.

Supporters can contribute by streaming or downloading the song, or simply asking a smart speaker to play it — a small action organisers say can make a meaningful difference.

Further fundraising events are planned for the spring, including an evening of music and entertainment on Saturday (Mar 28) at 7:30pm at The Regency Hall in Saundersfoot. Pembrokeshire Pop Voices will be joined by Paul Sartori supporters The Slipway Ukes and local band Footbridge for a night of music, food and fundraising.

A spokesperson for the Paul Sartori Foundation said the events highlight the power of music to bring communities together while supporting vital care services.

“These events are wonderful experiences for audiences and they also raise essential funds for our hospice-at-home services,” she said. “We are incredibly grateful to groups such as Pembrokeshire Pop Voices, Totally Vocal Pembrokeshire and The Slipway Ukes for supporting care in our community.”

Anyone interested in organising a musical fundraiser or choosing the charity as their Charity of the Year can contact community fundraiser Rosie-Faye at [email protected].

Tickets for the St Davids Cathedral concert are available online via TicketSource, while tickets for the Saundersfoot event can be purchased through The Slipway Ukes or via the Paul Sartori Foundation website.

Charity

Tenby golf captain raises more than £8,000 for hospice charity

Published

2 days ago

February 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Fundraising year inspired by personal experience of end-of-life care

TENBY GOLF CLUB has announced that £8,360.68 has been raised for the Paul Sartori Foundation after a year of fundraising led by club captain Heather Morgan.

Heather’s captaincy was particularly notable as she is only the second female captain in the club’s history since it was founded in 1888. Her choice of charity was inspired by personal experience, following the care and support provided to her mother by the hospice-at-home charity.

Her mother, who lived to the age of 97, was able to remain at home during her final days thanks to the support of Paul Sartori’s clinical team.

Heather said she could not have managed without the compassion and professionalism of the staff, who supported both her mother and the wider family during a difficult time. She therefore chose the charity not only to raise funds, but also to increase awareness of the services available to families across Pembrokeshire.

The fundraising year included a packed programme of well-supported events, including a charity golf day, Captain’s Day, and a popular night golf competition. Members and guests also supported quiz nights with themed food, a special performance by Tenby Male Voice Choir, as well as Easter and Christmas raffles.

Joanne Lutwyche, Events and Fundraising Officer for the Paul Sartori Foundation, said: “Becoming a charity of the year is a great privilege for us, and we always aim to support our community fundraisers as much as possible during the time we are chosen.

“Our fundraising and events team have been astonished by the generosity of the golfers throughout the year. We have been invited to support events at Tenby Golf Club, and they have been great fun to be part of.”

The charity has thanked Heather Morgan, Tenby Golf Club, and everyone who contributed to the fundraising efforts, saying the money will help provide hospice-at-home care for people living with life-limiting illness across Pembrokeshire.

The funds raised will enable more families to receive care and comfort in their own homes at the most difficult times.

Photo caption: Heather Morgan with Brendan Monnelly, General Manager at Tenby Golf Club (Pic supplied).