Luen’s blog: A golden egg

It’s Easter and I’ve been reflecting on what this means as we look forward to a fresh new year.

On March 23rd we all took part in a national day of reflection, holding a minute’s silence and lighting lights of hope on our doorsteps. We reflected on all that we had lost: loved ones, our way of life, employment, leisure time, family time and the ability to hug each other.

So it’s lovely to be able to celebrate Easter and look forward to a better year ahead. I hope you were able to enjoy an Easter egg or two and reflect on what they symbolize – new life and rebirth. 

This year, Easter coincides with the start of our new financial year, a time when we think about how we will breathe new life into the charity – by shaping a business plan and setting a budget to ensure the funding is available to support that plan. With so little sustainable funding around, every year is like starting from scratch with a whole new set of ideas. Of course, we work hard to turn those ideas into community action that raises the funds we need to support local families. So far in our history, this creativity has worked and we have become a much-loved and well-supported part of the community. But it is always a leap of faith.

Over the next year, it’s going to be even harder. Harder because our shops have been closed for so long, harder because our events still can’t run as normal and harder because the emergency support from government is now drying up, leaving a huge gap to fill. 

And it’s harder because new life is something that hasn’t stopped during the pandemic. The numbers of children being born with life-limiting conditions in West Yorkshire is one of the highest in the country and is growing. These families will need help over the coming months and years and can’t rely on a leap of faith.

So at Easter, we don’t just need eggs, we need a golden egg! A golden egg that will help us to keep our services running until our shops are fully trading again and until friends, families and support groups can once again come together to fundraise and participate in our community events.

Can you help? There are so many ways that you can support us or perhaps you have a ‘golden egg’ you could donate? However you can support us in the year ahead, thank you and Happy Easter.