2026 is our 15th Anniversary, supporting over 1000 bereaved children since 2011, we are proud to offer bereavement services to Milton Keynes and surrounding area to give bereaved children a brighter tomorrow.
To celebrate we have special ‘Cheers to 15 Years’ cups and you can join in with our celebrations, for just £2 you can own your own special, never to be produced again, 15th Year Anniversary cup – order by completing the form by clicking the link below.
I walked into my front door 28 years ago and my life changed. My wife had died. I was the sole parent of two children aged 7 and 11.
Now What? What to do? How to do it ? Who could help me? The answer, Nobody!
So, the mission of Harry’s Rainbow is one that I can associate with personally and passionately. If only there was somebody to help me back then.
By the way the 2 children grew into two amazing humans with their own children if you were wondering.
Me? I am an educator slowly edging towards new challenges but with my roots set in schools. I have been a teacher, a middle leader, a Head of Year, a Well-being and behaviour support manager as well as fulfilling a number of other roles.
I hope to help Harry’s grow and reach out to as many families as I can, helping to fill that void, that sense of, ‘lost’ I know too well.
I thank Odette and the team for everything they do so magnificently and for giving me the opportunity to work alongside them.
Nicole has spent more than 25 years working in people and engagement roles, but recently felt a pull towards something more purposeful. After hearing Odette share her story at an International Women’s Day event, she was deeply inspired by the strength and hope behind Harry’s Rainbow. Having always lived in Milton Keynes, she wanted to give back to a charity rooted in her own community. Outside of work, Nicole enjoys time with her football obsessed daughter and long family dog walks.
I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Harry’s Rainbow, supporting the incredible work they do for bereaved children and their families.
As a mother with twins, I know how important it is for families to feel supported during incredibly difficult times. Harry’s Rainbow touched a chord with me from the beginning, and it’s an honour to now be part of a team creating such meaningful impact in the community.
On a bright, chilly Saturday, some of our beneficiary families had a wonderful time connecting with nature at a Go Wild in the Woods session—kindly donated by Julie from Learning Without Walls and funded by A Greener Padbury.
Children and families took part in hands-on, outdoor activities such as shelter building, creating tree faces, and threading Elder beads. Julie also brought along a fascinating collection of animal skulls and poo for the children to examine—sparking curiosity and plenty of learning!
Spending time outdoors in such a beautiful, peaceful setting was good for everyone’s mental wellbeing. It provided a perfect opportunity for families to relax, connect, and have fun together.
We were proud to be part of the Umbrella Project in Milton Keynes City Centre, where we hosted a stall to raise awareness about our charity and the vital support we provide to bereaved children and families across Milton Keynes and surrounding areas.
The event was very well attended, creating a wonderful opportunity for connection and conversation. We had many meaningful discussions—not only about our work, but also about the wider world of neurodiversity. From heartfelt speeches to everyday chats, the day was filled with learning, understanding, and shared experiences.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to talk with us and show support. Together, we can continue to build a more compassionate and inclusive community.
IWD 2025 was an inspirational gathering of women from communities in and around MK. We ran a stall raising awareness of our services, and collaborating with amazing women from businesses in Milton Keynes. Just hearing the key note speaker, Jaz Ampaw-Farr, speak about her rising from adversity to speaking about being ‘successful’ was awe inspiring.
Milton Keynes is a vibrant, diverse community that is committed to being inclusive. Every community should have access to bereavement services. We ran an 18 month project to raise awareness of our services of support in communities around MK. We delivered a workshop for children as part of the Wisdom project, creating memory boxes and painting stones, ran a stall at the MK Melting Pot family fun day, ran an open coffee morning and contacted local community groups, as well as upskilling ourselves with Diversity and Inclusion training.
We were honoured to be invited to take part in a local community art project—a stunning mosaic installation led by artist Sarah Harper of Honey Mosaics, Sarah visited four of our support groups, teaching the children how to create mosaics and giving them the chance to make their very own rainbow mosaic to take home – a great experience to express themselves through art.
Several of our families were then invited to a special session at the Blue Light Hub to contribute to the large collaborative mosaic – over 700 children from across Milton Keynes were involved in designing and making this. Our Harry’s Rainbow families proudly completed the rainbow section of the piece, leaving a lasting, colourful mark.
To make the day even more memorable, families also enjoyed a tour of the fire station, complete with a chance to use the hoses! The finished mosaic now shines brightly at the entrance to the Blue Light Hub—its rainbow a beautiful symbol of hope, community, and resilience.
Personal Group kindly donated £10,000 for a project to support our young people. A group of 15, 11-25 year olds formed the ‘Grieffitti’ art group. Led by Jon Rees, London based graffiti artist, and in partnership with Arts for Health Mk and Tash Darling, the group spent a year exploring their grief through images, lyrics and music culminating in an art exhibition.
We’ve hosted male-only events at Good Gym MK, creating a safe and supportive space for men to come together and talk openly. These gatherings offer a unique opportunity for men to express their feelings and connect with others who truly understand their experiences.
At these events, we were joined by a representative from The Man Cave, who led thoughtful conversations and encouraged emotional expression in a relaxed, understanding environment.
The event was also family-friendly—children were welcome and took part in fun activities around the gym while their dads had time to talk. The day wrapped up with a delicious pizza lunch for everyone to enjoy together.
After over 25 years working in education across all phases, I’m proud to serve as the Education Liaison Development Officer for Harry’s Rainbow. Throughout my career, I’ve been dedicated to supporting children’s emotional wellbeing as well as their academic progress, with a particular focus on nurture, inclusion, and holistic development.
As a former Pastoral and Nurture Lead and a mum of two school aged children, I understand just how deeply loss and emotional challenges can affect a child’s learning and sense of belonging. This empathy drives my commitment to helping schools create safe, understanding, and bereavement-informed environments.
In this role, I’m honoured to work with schools across Milton Keynes to ensure children and families receive the support they need, and to help fulfil Harry’s Rainbow’s mission of giving bereaved children a brighter tomorrow.
I began volunteering with Harry’s Rainbow in July 2024, working closely with Alison to support events and fundraising activities. When I moved to Milton Keynes six years ago, Harry’s Rainbow was one of the first charities I discovered. As a parent, their mission immediately resonated with me, and I knew I wanted to contribute in a meaningful way.
At the beginning of this year, I was delighted to take on the role of Events and Fundraising Support, allowing me to become even more involved in the incredible work the charity delivers. It’s a privilege to be part of an organisation that provides such vital support to bereaved children and their families, and I’m proud to play a small part in helping make that possible.
After spending over 20 years as a primary school teacher both in the UK and abroad, I am delighted to be working as a Family Liaison Officer with Harry’s Rainbow. I had the pleasure of knowing Harry, as my three children are of a similar age. The charity is therefore close to my heart, and I have lovely memories of early fundraising events – what an amazing organisation it has grown to be! Having now lost my own Mum, I am especially keen to work with families going through a life-changing bereavement. I am looking forward to our events and trips but mostly getting to know the children and young people with their families, helping to provide support for a brighter tomorrow.
After retiring, I started looking for a volunteer role to match my skills and interests. I was really inspired when I came across Harry’s Rainbow and have been volunteering at the Rainbow Groups since January 2022. I love helping the children make their Rainbow Tools and talking to families at the groups. I have also enjoyed helping the Harry’s Rainbow team with their fabulous summer and Christmas trips.
Since October 2023, I have been going into the office to do admin work related to the groups and the Rainbow Retreat which has been a very positive experience.
I have volunteered with Harry’s rainbow for around 10 years, helping out at various events, but over the passed 2 years I have become more involved in helping out on the admin site of things including running the bonus ball and helping to organise events. Volunteering for Harry’s rainbow is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever done and love every minute.
Your child dying is the worst thing that can happen to any family. Harry was a special, bright, clever and loving son. He never leaves my thoughts for a second and that’s why starting Harrys Rainbow to help others gives me a way to honour his memory. I achieved a goal I never thought I could by running the London Marathon in 2011 to raise funds for Child Bereavement UK. Harry and my family were with me all the way and kept me going to the finishing line. I went on to run 2 further marathons and half marathons and organised our very first running team to fundraise for Harrys Rainbow, which raised £15,000. I will always play a large part in supporting our objectives to help bereaved children and their families, knowing that the support is offered from a family who know first hand the devastation of losing a child.
I became involved with Harry’s Rainbow for the first time at Jessica’s Rainbow Run in June 2019 as a volunteer face painter. I then went on to support Odette and Harry’s Rainbow during Rainbow Week. I really got to see just a small percentage of the sheer amount of work they do to support young people and their families which encouraged me to get more involved. When I saw there was a volunteer position as admin support I immediately got in touch. The timing for me was perfect as my youngest child was due to start school. As well as experience with office duties, I also have experience of working with special needs children so could bring varied expertise to the team.
Since then, my role has grown, and I am now proud to work part time as the Volunteer Coordinator. In this role, I help recruit, support, and manage our incredible team of volunteers, ensuring they feel confident and valued in the work they do.
Being part of Harry’s Rainbow continues to be an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such meaningful work.
I was 15 when my father died of cancer, a vulnerable time in anyone’s life, and at the time there was no support on offer. This experience led me to my life’s purpose, to provide holistic support for children and young people, which is why I became a teacher and spent the next 25 years in education as a teacher, SENDCo, Deputy head, mental health lead and lastly as Executive Head of 6 schools in Milton Keynes. In 2021 I changed career, I became a coach and offered support to people in a different way. But you can never take the teacher out of the teacher, and in January 2023 I was delighted to join the Harry’s Rainbow team as an education support volunteer offering training to schools on how to best support pupils/students who have been bereaved. I was even more delighted in April of the same year to be appointed as a Family Liaison Officer, adding to the already amazing team, and expanding the support for young people further and I’m privileged to be part of giving these young people who have been bereaved a brighter tomorrow.
As a widow with a child who has experienced the death of a loved one first hand, Harry’s Rainbow have offered so much support to us both that I needed to give something back to them. I started off by volunteering with bag packing or events and that has lead to me becoming a volunteer at the monthly groups and more recently, a buddy to several families to support them through the pandemic.
When I saw the post of Family Liaison Officer advertised, I had to apply. I have personal experience of bereavement as well as being very interested in children and young people’s mental health. What better way to marry the two than this? I am currently studying at a master’s level at the University of Northampton and intend to base my dissertation on bereaved teenagers. I have a real passion for ensuring these young people have a voice and can use it to influence, impact and inform ongoing support for all bereaved children.
This bereavement journey does not end, and I hope to offer support, encouragement, and guidance to the families that Harry’s Rainbow do so much for. I am thrilled and proud to be part of such a caring and passionate team.
I am very passionate about helping and supporting children after the death of a significant family member. I was full of such mixed emotions about what I should do for my daughter Jessica after my son and her twin brother Harry died and had no idea where to turn to for help. She is his twin and because of their unique relationship, the closest that anyone would ever get to him. She knew him longer than any of us. The grief of losing a child is so overwhelming that I could have given up, but no matter how strong these feelings were, I just could not let my daughter down. After experiencing such devastation at such an early age I needed to keep focused on her and as such I researched every support and advice service available. This is what led me to begin Harry’s Rainbow. My son Harry was a blessing to me and always will be. I like to talk about him like I do about all my children and I think about him always. He will never be far from me and the love I have for him is what continues to spur me on to help others.
I am extremely pleased and excited to join the Trustees of Harry’s Rainbow to help propel this fantastic local charity forward. The work being done here makes such a difference to so many families lives and to be a part of that is beyond an honour.
I myself am a software developer with a massive interest in technology; having organised multiple Technical conferences both locally and internationally. I’m keen to lend my experience and skills to this already incredible team.
I have spent many years working with charities, both as an advisor and as a volunteer. For the last 10 years I have worked with youth organisations, including being the chairman of a local youth football club for 6 years and local scout groups. I am a level 1 football coach, a qualified mindfulness teacher and am working towards my personal trainer qualifications.
As the owner of an international consultancy and law firm, I work with entrepreneurs, start-ups and growing businesses to build commercial solutions and opportunities through mentoring and strategic advice. I work with UK and overseas entrepreneurs, investors and high net worth individuals focussing on strategy, global commercial solutions, immigration, business mentoring and commercial management.
I have over 20 years’ experience as an Internal Communications and Events professional and am a Certified Member of the Institute of Internal Communication. My current role is as an Internal Communications Director at Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation. I started my volunteering journey a few years back, working at a local children’s charity, supporting children with autism and communication difficulties. This fuelled my passion for children’s charities, and following this experience, I made a promise to myself and my two children that one day I would work with another local children’s charity. I am delighted and honoured to be a Trustee for Harry’s Rainbow and to be able to offer my skills and experience to the charity as it progresses on its journey. The work that this charity does to support bereaved children and young people is phenomenal and I am thrilled to be part of the Harry’s Rainbow Board and Harry’s legacy.
I’m really pleased to be a Trustee of this wonderful local charity, Harry’s Rainbow. The work they do is brilliant, making a real, tangible difference to bereaved children and young people. I myself have been affected by a family bereavement, losing my brother back in 2002. We were very close and even though I was 30 at the time, it hit me hard, and I understand the benefit that the charity brings to children and families that suffer loss at a young age.
As a family man myself, with a 3 children, to have that support infrastructure there if it was ever needed, would make such a difference. With this in mind, I am grateful for the opportunity to support the team and bring my knowledge and experience from 30 years in the corporate and financial world with me.
I’ve worked in the charity sector for more than 20 years, mainly in fundraising but with a growing focus on organisational management and governance. I started my career fundraising for a small family support charity in South London and at once fell in love with the charity sector and the incredible impact it has on individuals, families and wider communities. I’m now head of charity for a local hospital. To be a Trustee of a local charity like Harry’s Rainbow – which is making a real, tangible difference to bereaved children and young people – is an absolute privilege. I’m pleased to be sharing my skills and experience with such a brilliant team.
I am a Chartered Management Accountant with over 8 years of experience helping large organisations in various industries make better business decisions, improve profitability and cash flow. I’m currently running my own financial consulting business, helping start-ups and SMEs achieve profitable and sustainable growth. I am passionate about making a difference, solving problems, and helping people see their challenges as opportunities to grow. Over the past few years, I supported various charities through fundraising and volunteering and it’s always been a rewarding experience. I am excited and privileged to serve Harry’s Rainbow as a Trustee and be able to use my skills and experience to support its great mission.
Following an early career as a newspaper journalist, I moved into the health charity sector around 15 years ago. Since then I’ve held a number of senior roles in charity communications teams and more recently organisational development. I currently work for a national sight loss organisation based in Buckinghamshire. I’m passionate about the vital role charities play in connecting people with others who have had similar experiences, and providing high quality information and support. A mum of two, I feel honoured to join the Harry’s Rainbow team as a trustee and hope that my enthusiasm for the charity’s fantastic work, combined with my professional skills and experience, will enable me to help make a difference for families who experience bereavement.
After working for over 35 years I decided to take some time out and recharge my batteries. I wanted my next endeavour to make a difference and to put something back. My sister and I lost our Dad when we were 14 & 21 respectively. There was no support network available to us and I feel what Harrys Rainbow Trust is aiming to achieve is very much needed. Bereavement at any time is traumatic and having a support network in place or somewhere you can go to get advice is key. My background is in HR and I hope to use my HR skills and some previous charitable fund trustee experience to help sustain the charity and be a part of its growth in the future.
After working for over 35 years I decided to take some time out and recharge my batteries. I wanted my next endeavour to make a difference and to put something back. My sister and I lost our Dad when we were 14 & 21 respectively. There was no support network available to us and I feel what Harrys Rainbow Trust is aiming to achieve is very much needed. Bereavement at any time is traumatic and having a support network in place or somewhere you can go to get advice is key. My background is in HR and I hope to use my HR skills and some previous charitable fund trustee experience to help sustain the charity and be a part of its growth in the future.
