Sandy Bear Children’s Bereavement Charity looked back on an eventful 2021, which saw quirky events, new partnerships and a family fun day at Carew Castle.

The year saw Sandy Bear named as the charity of the year by the Port of Milford Haven, with that partnership raising £8,245 for the bereavement charity.

Another partnership created was one with Pembrokeshire College, with students getting involved in pamper packs, story sacks and with other projects still ongoing.

In the summer of 2021, as the charity celebrated its fourth birthday, it launched ‘Sandy Cubs,’ a peer group for bereaved children aged five and under.

To celebrate the birthday of the charity, several schools across Pembrokeshire got involved to help raise funds, such as doing non-uniform days, rainbow runs and fancy dress.

Sandy Bear’s fortunate summer continued with a grant from the People’s Postcode Lottery helping fund the charity’s premises, and another partnership beginning, this time with Dragon LNG.

The Dragon LNG staff got involved in raising funds by taking Sandy Bear teddy bears on fitness challenges, including walking, running and gym training across the UK.

The great summer ended with a family fun day at Carew Castle, where families attended the hugely successful event, with another day being planned for July 2022.

£1,505 was also raised in October by Darren Crockford, who completed the London Marathon for the charity, before County Hall in Haverfordwest was lit orange, supporting Sandy Bear on National Grief Awareness Week.

The end of the year was just as great for Sandy Bear, as it won £500 at the PAVS Volunteers Awards, and then received a huge £100,000 by the National Lottery Community Fund.

The money from the fund is to go towards the Sandy Cubs service for 0-5 year olds, as well as continuing to expand the charity.

Karen Codd and Anita Hicks, co-founders of the charity, said: “2021 was filled with so many fantastic opportunities, memories and milestones. We would like to say a huge thank you to the Port of Milford Haven and Dragon LNG for supporting us, as well as saying thank you to the individuals, community groups and businesses who have also fundraised, donated and spread awareness of Sandy Bear.”