CALM Basingstoke is a bereavement support group for miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal loss. The group is open to anyone who has lost a baby at any stage and any location in the UK. Their mission is to support each other through the grief journey, to show compassion, care and kindness as a community together towards one another. CALM Basingstoke host monthly meetings on the second Thursday of each month at The Safe in Basingstoke at 7:30 - 9:30pm. Each meeting will have activities for those who wish to keep their hands busy, including putting together Miscarriage Support Packs which are handed out at Basingstoke and Winchester hospitals. The meetings are not counsellor or hospital-led. They are to help connect bereaved parents of all gestational losses to others. The group is a safe space to connect with others who have a shared experience whilst navigating your way through your grief together. As a social support group it is an opportunity to meet and make friends with others with a shared experience and be a part of a community that unites together to heal and grow stronger.

My name is Stephen Kelly, I am a bereaved father to my daughter Amelia, born October 2020. In her memory, I founded and Chair SANDS United FC Basingstoke. As a bereaved father, it’s very difficult to find a way to talk about a loss. It is not a very welcomed topic with friends and family as they typically do not know how to response or worry about saying the wrong thing. Leaving that feeling of isolation especially as men tend to not burden their partners with their own grief. SANDS United is a unique means of getting men together affected by baby loss to give them the opportunity to represent their angel(s) and speak about them if and when they are comfortable to do so. We form a connection through the team sport of football and welcome anyone affected by baby loss regardless of fitness or footballing ability. Starting SUFC Basingstoke was a journey on its own. There was a signing up form followed by discussions and an informal interview with SANDS. The team was registered in October 2022 and our journey began. With help from The Forget Me Not Fund and word of mouth, we registered 16 players by our first training session held at the Aldermaston Rec Soc on the 8th March with 14 players turning up. An unbelievable first session! To this day of writing, we have 40 members in the group chats, and each one of them brings something special to the team. SANDS United FC Basingstoke and The Forget Me Not Fund partnered in April 2023. This allowed any of the fathers joining the opportunity to wear the match kits and represent their babies name on their shirts, a very important feature of SANDS United found within each team across the country. With 40 members within the team, we have no intentions of stopping anyone from being part of this group. This is your team, your space and your opportunity to represent your angel however you feel best. We will always be here for you.