This year ARC celebrated its 35th anniversary! We are so grateful that, thanks to our generous donors, we have been able to provide much-needed support to parents facing heart-breaking decisions about the future of their pregnancy for over three decades. However, we are always seeking financial support as we want to grow our services to include all parents across the UK seeking help, especially those feeling isolated in their experiences. 

As a result, this year we are focussing our Christmas appeal on our face-to-face bereaved parent meetings. Since their relaunch after the pandemic, these have proven invaluable to parents wanting to connect with other bereaved families who have also been through a termination of pregnancy after a prenatal diagnosis. This opportunity to share experiences, coping strategies and hopes for the future is deeply impactful for parents: 

“I've really struggled with so much guilt, grief and 'what if's' over the past couple of years and have felt very isolated and lonely… Hearing the stories from other parents was absolutely heart breaking, but there was a true compassion and understanding from each and every person in that room… What I wasn't expecting was to come away from the meeting feeling positive, that it was okay to think about my baby and acknowledge that I had a son.” Parent at our Sheffield meeting 

“Meeting face-to-face, rather than on the forum or by phone, was especially helpful. I've never actually met anyone in person before who's been through a termination after finding out there was a potentially something wrong with their baby. There was such compassion and understanding in that room. I could identify with so much of what others said and felt.” Parent at our Bristol meeting 

We know that Christmas can be a time of mixed emotions as it is a family-oriented time, which can heighten the sense of loss and sadness for bereaved parents. We would therefore love to centre this appeal around the opportunity to hold more meetings in 2024. The cost of one parent meeting (venue hire and coordinator time) is approximately £1,000 so we would be delighted if we could raise £5,000 to deliver five parents meetings next year. With this increased support, we’d aim to hold meetings in locations across the UK. To help support this goal, why not make ARC your chosen charity this Christmas and donate towards our £5,000 appeal. It is very easy to donate online, or by calling 020 7713 7356.   

You can also buy our lovely ARC Christmas cards here!

Thank you and all good wishes for Christmas and the New Year from the ARC Team