For unpaid carers a night of unbroken sleep is a rare treat. Also rare is a day without a schedule of administering medication, using specialist equipment such as hoists, lifting and pushing wheelchairs, and providing nourishment, sometimes in the form of specialist feeds for tube-fed loved ones. That said, probably what is missed the most […]
Staying connected with hospices
Charmain Felts has long been an ambassador for After Umbrage. She works for Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Bedfordshire in their Family Support Team. Charmain and her team do amazing work for families whose loved ones have very complex health needs. She acts as a conduit between her beneficiaries that become ours. Staying connected […]
Kingham Cottage is a bereavement resource for carers
Bereavement is hard to talk about. Losing someone who is close to you can be devastating. And if you have been caring for that loved on, even more so. Because we understand this, we want to remind our community that Kingham Cottage is available to carers during their first year of bereavement. We are a […]
Fundraising for Cancer-related Causes and Carers
Welcome to this photoblog showing our fundraising efforts for cancer-related causes and carers. Last week, teams from two small charities gathered to walk for charity. After Umbrage and The Mintridge Foundation combined forces to raise funds for The Malcolm Whales Foundation to benefit cancer-related causes. In turn, due to our partnership with The Malcolm Whales […]
Carers Week Highlights Aimed at Making Caring Visible
Last week – 8th to 14th June – was the national Carers Week campaign when we came together with our like-minded friends online to make caring visible. It was an opportunity for us to showcase our work and find new friends. Pleasingly, they came from the corporate sector, the third sector and new carers have […]
100% of booking proceeds fund free breaks for carers
After Umbrage has an interesting funding model. Kingham Cottage is leased to the charity as self-catering holiday accommodation for both paying guests and carer families. We are proud to say that, paying guests visit safe in the knowledge that 100% of booking proceeds fund free breaks for carers. So it’s ideal for the discerning holiday […]
Checking in with you
Isolation isn’t fun, is it? We are probably all experiencing some good days as well as bad ones. That’s why we are checking in with you. It is our wish to make as many days as possible a bit happier. Even just a little bit. So, here we are checking in and sending you our […]
5 Things you may not know about After Umbrage
After Umbrage won funding in December from The Big Lottery Community Fund. Woohoo! Naturally, we were delighted with our early Christmas present. Since then, we’ve received many more referrals and our cottage is nearly fully booked for 2020. It shows our awareness campaigns are working and there are lots of carers and their families in need […]
Sarah tells her Harry Potter story
PART ONE After Umbrage beneficiaries often come forward to tell their heart-warming stories of resilience, family strength and kindness. Sarah Potter is one such lovely lady. We are delighted she found After Umbrage and are proud to share her story here, in two parts, as there’s simply too much to share in one alone. Here […]
Maggie says her greatest joy is that Daniel has grown to be a polite and creative young man, facing life bravely and cheerfully
Beneficiaries of After Umbrage are a resilient little crowd. Behind their stoic fronts lie amazing stories. This is the tale of the Raja Family of a small village on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales. Daniel Raja was born with only half a functioning heart and other complications. The condition is called Hypoplastic Left Heart […]