Highland Journal April 2014

Welcome to the April 2014 edition of the SiMBA Highland Journal! 

The beginning of 2014 has proven to be a busy time with so many events happening throughout the UK for SiMBA as the charity continues to respond to the needs of those affected by the loss of a baby.

Tain Royal Academy Youth Philanthropy Initiative 

In November 2013 I was delighted to receive a phone call from Eilidh, a 3^rd year student at Tain Royal Academy. She and fellow pupils Georgia, Jordan and Becky, had chosen SiMBA as the charity they wished to represent at the Youth Philanthropy Initiative. As well as raising awareness of the charity, each group that wins for their charity receives a cheque for £3,000.

It was so heart-warming to meet with the students, who showed a great deal of understanding of the empathetic approach required in promoting SiMBA charity. We were delighted when they reached the final whoch was held on 28^th March 2014. Though the girls did not win we are so proud of how well they represented SiMBA and very grateful for their hard work.

Thank you also to our SiMBA Volunteers Marion Hamilton and Megan Foulis who worked very hard with the students.

Caithness andSutherland Midwifery Forum 

My SiMBA co-facilitator Irene and I were pleased to be invited to attend the February meeting of the Midwifery Forum for Caithness & Sutherland. This busy team covers one of the largest, most rural areas of NHS Highland, working in the community and at the Henderson Maternity Unit in Caithness General Hospital.

It was good to share with them about the work of SiMBA throughout the UK and specifically in the Highlands, and to talk about how together we can respond to the needs of their patients who go through the tragedy of miscarriage, stillbirth or neo-natal death.

SiMBA Office, Dunbar

In Feb 2014 Irene and I enjoyed our first visit to SiMBA HQ in Dunbar. Volunteers are welcomed here on a daily basis by Sara Fitzsimmons, Charity Director, Gillian Wells, Office Administrator, and Danielle, Office Receptionist. If you would like to volunteer to help pack Memory Boxes or get ready for some of the events SiMBA runs, contact Gillian on admin@simbacharity.org.uk.

Cake Sale at Scottish Marine Institute

SiMBA were delighted to receive £130 from The Scottish Marine Institute who held a Cake Sale at their workplace. This has been given to SiMBA via the SiMBA Great Glen Challenge.

Golspie Quiz Night

The Northern contingent of #KayakTeamSiMBA held a very successful Quiz Night, brilliantly compared by Malcolm. Funds raised on the night have been given to SiMBA via the SiMBA Great Glen Challenge.

Scottish Cot Death Trust

I was delighted to be invited by Lynda Bathgate, Community Services Nurse with the Scottish Cot Death Trust to join her at a Paediatric Bereavement Study Event held at Raigmore Hospital in March. It was an interesting event bringing together professionals from SUDI, Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland, Hospital Services, Chaplaincy Services, Registrar’s Services and GP Services. Lynda and I hope to liaise on more events throughout the Highlands and Islands in the future.

SiMBA Cinderella Ball, 15th Mar 2014

The SiMBA Cinderella Ball was a prestigious Black Tie event at The George Hotel in Edinburgh ~ it was an incredible evening and was a unique way to support SiMBA. Our hosts for the evening are Grant Stott and Marie Clair Munro who helped SiMBA raise an incredible amount of money. The surprise for me of the evening was the announcement that SiMBA wish me to take on the role as Charity Ambassador to the Highlands and Islands, a huge honour and privilege.

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes

On the 17^th March one of our SiMBA Volunteers Jane Philip was delighted on behalf of SiMBA to receive a cheque for £100 from the RAOB Elgin branch. We are very grateful to Drew and his fellow chapter members for their support of SiMBA.

Soroptomists International Inverness and Nairn

The members of the Inverness and Nairn branch of Soroptomist International continue to support the work of the charity in their area. They held a very successful coffee morning in March in Inverness to raise funds and awareness for the charity and I was honoured to be able to attend. We are very grateful for the work that the group does to promote the charity and enable us to reach those whom the charity can support.

Inverness High School

I was delighted to meet with a fantastic group of 3^rd year students in March at Inverness High School They have chosen SiMBA as the charity they wish to represent in their Youth Philanthropy Initiative. We want to thank them for choosing the charity and wish them all the best as they put their presentation together.

Miami Quiz Night Tue 15^th April 7.30pm

The SiMBA Quiz Night will be a great evening of fun as teams of 4 & 5 compete as they battle it out to become Quiz Champions! There will be a fantastic raffle on the evening and Miami Nightclub, 39 High St, Inverness, are offering great prices on their drinks.

For more information click HERE

Inverness Support Group meets Thur 24^th April 7pm 

The Inverness Support Group continues to meet on the last Thursday of the month from 7-9pm at the Hilton Lighthouse (http://www.hiltonlighthouse.org/). Do pop by for a coffee/tea and chat in a warm, welcoming setting, and bring any photos or memory items you wish to share.

It is not a professional counselling group, all our group facilitators have had training and certification from the Child Bereavement Charity.

Contact Susan on 07771358382 or email simbahighland@gmail.com for more information or to arrange a lift. Find us HERE on Facebook!

Oban Support Group meets Fri 26^th April 7pm

The Oban Support Group continues to meet on the last Friday of the month from 7-9pm at the Regent Hotel (http://www.bespokehotels.com/regenthotel). Do pop by for a coffee/tea and chat in a warm, welcoming setting, and bring any photos or memory items you wish to share.

It is not a professional counselling group, all our group facilitators have had training and certification from the Child Bereavement Charity.

Contact Susan on 07771358382 / 01631 720107 or email simbahighland@gmail.com for more information or to arrange a lift. Find us HERE on Facebook.

Annual Butterfly Release, Oban, 28^th June

SiMBA are delighted to host the first Annual Butterfly Release in the Oban area on 28^th June 2014.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list for this please email Susan on simbahighland@gmail.com. 

SiMBA 2014 Great Glen Challenge, 29^th Jul – 1^st Aug

Highland SiMBA are incredibly excited about this momentous challenge for 2014! 

From Tues 29^th July to Friday 1st Aug 2014, 29 brave souls will be paddling by kayak or Canadian canoe from Fort William to Inverness along the Great Glen. 92km, 22 miles of canal, 4 days, 4 lochs, and 1 monster!

Applications to join as a kayaker / canoeist have now closed but we are still looking for volunteers to help on shore. Contact Susan on 07771358382 or simbahighland@gmail.com for further information and to volunteer or sponsor a kayak/canoe.

Please do stop by and like our page HERE.

Annual Butterfly Release, Inverness, 2nd Aug

We are already taking enquiries about the Annual Butterfly Release to mark the planting of the Inverness Tree of Tranquility. It will be held on Sat 2nd Aug 2014. 

If you would like to be added to the mailing list for this please email Susan on simbahighland@gmail.com. 

Please do join us HERE on Facebook.

If you wish information on any of the items included here, would like to volunteer for SiMBA, or would like to invite me to talk to a group, please contact me on 07771358382 or email simbahighland@gmail.com.

Kind regards

Susan Simpson

SiMBA Highland Ambassador

Highland Midwives, BBCAlba

This is being shown tomorrow evening. It was filmed in November 2010, less than 8 weeks after we had lost Eilidh Beth to stillbirth and before I had started volunteering for SiMBA. I will always be grateful to Fiona Mundell for suggesting to Mairead, the producer that they chat to me as I fully believe that this helped me believe that I could achieve something that would help others touched by this loss. 

I think it was shortly after filming that I spoke to SiMBA cofounder and Charity Director Sara ... the rest is, as they say, history!

And what is even more special is that this episode features some amazing health professionals! Donna was Eilidh Beth's midwife and will forever be special to us. Marion was a great source of comfort at the surgery and as for Etta ... she is a rock! And is doing so much for SiMBA! 

"In this programme, community midwife Marion Young takes us to meet some mums and babies at home. Back in the hospital Donna Macleod is keeping a close eye on a mum who is having contractions after slipping on ice.

Annie MacLean goes about her daily routine in the Special Care Baby Unit while Eilidh Lucas explains the emotional roller coaster she's been on since her twin daughter was admitted. Next door in Labour Suite, midwife Janeen has been looking after Valerie and Trevor for the whole of her shift; will the baby be born before she finishes? Who better than experienced midwife Etta Mackay to give advice on breastfeeding? We catch up with Catherine Anne as she visits her community midwife and hear how Susan Simpson and her family use their own heartbreaking experience to help others."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b015ssqv

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Day 14 ~ "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~Margaret Mead (1901-1978, American cultural anthropologist and speaker)

Today's snap of happiness was spent with two of the amazing volunteers we have for SiMBA in Oban! Each one if us has been affected by the loss of a baby, either through losing our baby or through losing a sibling. 

But each one if us is determined to do all that we can to raise funds and awareness for the charity that encourages us to celebrate that our babies or sibling babies were here. And in celebrating them and remembering them we can smile and we can find happiness and not feel guilty about it!

I was struck by how fortunate I am to work with a small but brilliant group of people in Argyll, the Highlands and Islands willing to go that extra mile for SiMBA! Together we are reaching the most remote and rural areas of this part of Scotland and not only does that make me happy but also makes me incredibly proud! And makes my role as Highland Ambassador for SiMBA so much easier! 

Thank you so much to each and every volunteer we have! Together we are making such a difference!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day14

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts."

Day 11 ~ "Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts."

I grew up in a family and extended family where humour was a daily occurrence whether you liked it or not!! ;)

When I popped in to Mum and Dad's today, as I made my coffee I noticed four peeled spuds! I had a few spare minutes .... and a pen ....

Later in the day I got a message from Mum who had discovered the four spuds staring at her in the kitchen! 

So today's happiness was a renewed appreciation of my family members' sense of humour and fun!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day11

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." ~Sir Edmund Hillary

Day 12 ~ "It is not the mountain

we conquer, but ourselves." ~Sir Edmund Hillary 

Today's happy moment captured is at Oban Canoe Club's pool session, trying to get my stroke right! I am incredibly excited about the Great Glen Challenge for SiMBA and am so thankful for the amazing group of 29 folk who have banded together to do this!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day12

would you not then still have your childhood, that precious, kingly possession, that treasure-house of memories?

Day 10 ~ "And even if you were in some prison, the walls of which let none of the sounds of the world come to your senses - would you not then still have your childhood, that precious, kingly possession, that treasure-house of memories?" ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Today's happy moment really makes me smile! Niamh found this old photo of Ali and Cheech! Not a clue where it came from! I swear I haven't seen it on years!

But now lots if happy memories clamber in when I look at this! What a joy to share happy memories with a close family!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day10

SiMBA Donation Thank You

Many thanks to Jane Philip for representing SiMBA this evening and accepting the very generous donation of £100 from the Elgin branch of The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB). 

The RAOB is one of the largest fraternal organisations in the United Kingdom and was started in 1822. 

The RAOB assists and supports members, their families, dependents of former members and other charitable organisations, living by their motto "No Man Is At All Times Wise" with the maxim of "Justice, Truth and Philanthropy".

SiMBA is very grateful to Elgin RAOB for their kind donation and support. 

Highland SiMBA & the Inverness Tree of Tranquility

This is a wee video showing how we support those affected by the loss of a baby.

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."

Day 9 ~ "When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." ~Joyce Brothers

Today, as every day, I hold on to the happiness that is my family! We are so blessed with all that we are able to do and experience together. We have made so many incredible memories! 

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day9

And thou shalt in thy daughter see, This picture, once, resembled thee.

Day 7 ~ "And thou shalt in thy daughter see,

This picture, once, resembled thee."

~Ambrose Philips 

Today's photo of happiness needs so little explanation doesn't it?! Our daughters truly are the light of my life, my joy, my inspiration and my happiness. They make me complete! And they are crazy little chicks with a wicked sense if humour and an endless amount of fun!

Charis & Niamh, thank you for being my pride and my everlasting happiness!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day7

"We all grow up with the weight of history on us."

Day 6 ~ "We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies." ~Shirley Abbott  

Today's happiness was in meeting members of our family that we never knew we had! John Harvey traced my Dad through the Commando Association. John's Dad and Dad's Dad were brothers - and Dad's Dad died 2 months before Dad was born. 

It was wonderful to spend some time with long lost family and feel such a sense of kindredness and to feel so completely at home with them! 

So looking forward to more time spent with John, Anne and their family. Niamh in particular is very taken with her new 3rd cousins!! :)

#100HappyDays #CitrilsHappyDays #Day6

Every great dream begins with a dreamer

Day 4 ~ "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

~Harriet Tubman

Today's happy moment was in the sunset over Ardmucknish Bay, reminding me of how blessed we are to have this view and be surrounded by God's creation.  

Since having Charis I had a dream of being my family home to Argyll. Andrew has always loved this area too, but it took a period of too much loss for us to finally reach home. But out of the darkness light always shines and we have now been home for over a year!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day4

"This is how I define talent; it is a gift that God has given us in secret, which we reveal without knowing it." ~Charles De Montesquieu

Day 3 ~ "This is how I define talent; it is a gift that God has given us in secret, which we reveal without knowing it." ~Charles De Montesquieu

Today's happy moment came in the post! Charis received this with a letter saying that her Monster Poem, Dark Twilight, is being published. So pleased for her and proud of her and so delighted that she is in a school that encourages and supports pupils to pursue their dreams and stretch themselves!

Huge thanks to her teacher Miss Marwick for encouraging Charis and her fellow students in their poetry!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day3

All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it." ~ Samuel Butler

Day 2 ~ "All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it." ~ Samuel Butler

Today's happiness lay in watching Sooty, the girls' black cat, watching Tara, Charis's rat! 

We are so blessed to have these creatures in our homes, trusting us to love them and care for them. Granted I could do without the presents of headless mice but we are very thankful for the four furballs who share our home and hearts. 

When we lose our baby absolutely nothing can replace them or fill the emptiness in our heart, soul and life. But what a God send our pets can be. They often seem to have a deep understanding that we need them to remain close by our sides as we adjust to a life without something so precious and vital to our health and well being as our baby. 

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day2

'Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it.'

Day 1 ~ "Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish them." -Author Unknown

This photo encapsulates so much that makes me happy!

• The daughter I never thought we'd have, having been told by 2 different doctors I couldn't have children. 

• A reminder of my happy childhood and my days with the ponies when Achnalarig Stables were at Connel, riding with so many great folk.

• The realisation of my dream to bring Andrew and the girls to live in and grow up in Argyll!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day1

Can you be happy for 100 days?

I doubt that any of us can! However it is so important, I feel, for us to always try and find the positive in our day, even on the hardest and toughest of days! So I thought it would be good to join the many friends who are taking up the #100HappyDays Challenge. 




It can be too easy to get caught up in our busy lives. And when you have suffered great loss, whether that be your health, your job, a loved one or your baby, it can be so incredibly difficult to see the positive in anything anymore. The days and hours just meld in to one long period of misery and heart ache.

So as an aid to help us focus on the positives in our lives, to find that moment of happiness that CAN be found in every single day .... yes, trust me, even in the days when it feels like your world has completely ended ... thousands of us have registered for the #100HappyDays Challenge.

It's easy! Once we have registered, all we do is once a day upload a picture of what has made us happy that day. It can be anything from having a cuppa with a pal to that first coffee of the day, from that feeling of being in a special place to helping out someone in need.

The challenge is for YOU and you alone ~ it is not a platform for showing everyone how wonderful your life is ~ it is not a competition to prove that you are happier than everyone around you ~ it is not a means to make others jealous or to show off. It is simply a means for you to fully focus on what you can see in your life, your day, your world that makes you happy.

You can choose to share your photo on Facebook, twitter or instagram ~ just make sure you add the public hashtag #100HappyDays.

So, though this is not related to SiMBA and the work we do in the Highlands, it very much follows the ethos of SiMBA ~ #100HappyDays collects 100 day's worth of beautiful, lasting memories just as SiMBA enables us to gather treasured memories of our baby's short time here on earth ~ memories that will sustain us and uplift us through a life time of loss.

So ... who will join me?