Introducing Tessa Marshall, Founder of This Was Them. This week we were privileged to have Tessa visit us at Brightwater to tell us all about her passion to support bereaved children though the gifting of memories.
Tessa lost her own father due to an accident when she was a baby. Tessa’s father was only 21 years old when he and his best friend were tragically killed in an accident , so she never had the chance to get to know him. However, though a chance meeting several years ago, Tessa was put in touch with old friend of his, known to the family as the 3rd Musketeer! Getting an opportunity to hear lots of stories about her father that she had never heard before helped her gain the sense of connection that had always been missing.
Tessa’s personal experience of loss, together with her love of reading, has inspired her to help other bereaved children by creating bespoke memory books. Her books are a collection of stories, memories and photographs provided by friends and family which are then collated into one beautifully presented journal and gifted to the bereaved child. The child is then able to revisit the book whenever they feel the need to connect with their lost parent.
At Brightwater, sadly we see a lot of children who are struggling after the loss of a parent. Tessa’s innovative project could be a great way for families to be able to help support a grieving child. Children often find it difficult to talk about their feelings, so having something special that has been created just for them can sometimes really help to provide that very special parent/child connection that otherwise would be lost.
To find out more about Tessa and This Was Them, please visit her website below.
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