[T]HE Tigerlily Trust charity has announced its new patron – Real Housewives of Cheshire star, Leanne Brown.
Leanne, who hails from Barrow, will now act as ambassador for the charity in its work supporting bereaved parents who suffer the loss of their baby or child at any stage during pregnancy, following birth or later on in childhood.
Leanne’s personal experience of tragically losing three babies, combined with two close family member’s own losses, led to her involvement with the charity.
Founder of Tigerlily Trust, Val Isherwood, said: “Two years ago, we supported Leanne’s cousin, Janet, who tragically suffered a loss of her beloved baby boy, Declan. Janet told us our support had been absolutely vital in getting her to where she is today, and Janet and Trevor recently welcomed their rainbow baby, Finlay, safely into the world. Through her own personal experiences, Leanne later became aware of our work and expressed an interest in getting involved with Tigerlily Trust.
“Through a mutual connection, Leanne invited me over to her house so we could talk about the different ways she could get involved – we ended up spending an entire afternoon talking everything through. I then asked if she would consider being our patron and she said she would love to.
“We are so pleased to have Leanne on board to raise awareness and help us fundraise. Leanne knows first-hand how difficult it can be when you suffer a loss. She is the perfect ambassador for the Tigerlily Trust and we are really looking forward to this partnership together.”
Tigerlily Trust was established in 2012 after Val’s daughter, Lily, was stillborn. The charity provides support and resources for bereaved families locally and also holds an annual remembrance celebration on 15th October, which is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.
Leanne said: “I am so honoured to be the patron of such a wonderful charity. Val is an amazing, inspirational woman and the work she carries out is so important for women and families who have lost a baby. To know you are not alone in your time of grief and overwhelming sadness is so comforting.
“At least one in four women have experienced some sort of loss in this way and I can’t even express how proud I am to be involved. I am from Cumbria originally and I know the incredible support groups, one-to-one support and workshops that Val runs across the area provide a huge comfort to those who have been affected.”
Tigerlily Trust was also recently announced as a finalist in the Bay Living Awards for Best Local Charity. Val has a close knit team of volunteers working with her and she’s currently on the lookout for more volunteers to get involved with the charity’s vital work.
Val said: “We are currently looking for volunteers in the following roles – fundraising support, a knitting co-ordinator who is also social media savvy, an admin/secretarial volunteer and someone who could commit to an hour or two every week to help us with social media, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
“It will be lovely to expand the Tigerlily Trust team, especially as it’s an incredibly exciting time for the charity due to Leanne’s appointment as patron and our charity nomination.”
Anybody interested in getting involved can contact Val at enquiries@tigerlilytrust.co.uk
