Reading Half Marathon 2021

Well, Covid really did put a spanner in the works when it came to fundraising and all the things we wanted to do last year for Grayson and the trust. Some would say that last year shouldn’t have been about fundraising and more about grieving for Grayson and dealing (coming to terms) with what had happened but it was the complete opposite for us. We wanted to do all that we could do and more, except we & the world had this large pile of shit that was ‘covid’ in our way.

Which takes us on nicely to why I’m writing this today. Lou Lou- Louise Ansell will now be completing the Reading Half Marathon on November the 7th 2021 which had been cancelled and rescheduled from last year. Lou is Craig’s cousin and is an absolute star. She only got to meet Grayson a handful of times in the 10 months he was with us- Usual reasons, distance, work schedules etc but she adored him. She patiently waited a long time for him to come along :) like most the family! Craig & I met when we were 14 and the family waited a long time for us to finally marry after we got engaged aged 21 years old and the usual of baby follows after marriage malarky.

The first time Lou met Grayson was like they had secretly planned it. They both wore stripes and looked like convicts- see picture. She stood there with him chatting away to us and Grayson just drifted off to sleep in her arms. He obviously felt the love!

Losing Grayson didn’t just and won’t ever affect just us. It affected the whole family, friends around us and so many more.

If you can help by donating a few pounds to Lou’s run, we would be forever grateful. We understand that this past year has not been kind to anyone with many losing their jobs so if you cannot afford to donate, please do share this fundraiser with those around you. This is such a huge help and without our community, we would not be able to do what we do.

You will find the link in our bio or visit Just Giving- https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/louise-ansell-glst-anemarathon.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Faye & Craig x

UltraMarathon for ANE

Saturday 24th October will mark another incredible moment for GLST as Jordan Slater, best friends of ours, will take on an UltraMarathon Run to raise money and spread awareness of ANE.

Seeing the amazing achievements of Grayson’s Legacy Trust & the fundraising that has taken place so far, Jordan wanted to do something that would test his physical capabilities. Being a sporting fanatic, he’s looked at ways he could incorporate this into a fundraising event. Lo and behold: THE ULTRARUN…100km (62.14 miles)

Jordan will take off for his run at Cumnor, Oxford and will make his way across counties, ending in Marlborough circling the Avebury Stones. Lucky for him, there is a pub close by for a victory drink… or two!

All being well, he hopes to complete this in 14 hours- starting and finishing in the dark. Jordan will have some friends join him along the way to help him keep up his pace and support him throughout. The run will take place predominantly along the ridgeway.

Jordan has set a target of £1400- £100 per hour! Since lockdown, Jordan has been setting himself goals to achieve the longer runs and is currently at 32 miles taking just under 6 hours. What an incredible achievement so far. You can find Jordans journey over on his IG: Jordans_5k_to_100k_journey. A Just Giving page has been set up for his fundraise. Please do take a look, donate if you can and share with others. Let’s spread the word on ANE!

9 Year old Ollie raises an amazing £5000 for GLST

7.30am start to try and beat the scorching heat. (At this point it was 24.5 degrees)

On the 31st of July, we managed to raise £5000 for ANE Awareness Day. The challenge was set by himself, 9 year old Ollie to climb to the top of Mount Snowdon and boy, did he smash it! Check out the Video below to see how he did. We cannot thank everyone enough for their amazing support before, during and after the event. The money raised will be used to help fund future fundraising projects run by GLST and also to help families in need that have been effected by ANE. Please comment, like and share to continue raising the awareness for this terrible fast-acting disease.

‘Reflect, Restore, Renew’

As you may have seen, Grayson’s Trust has chosen to collaborate and fundraise for Teddy’s Wish. The reason for this, I will go on to tell you…

When Grayson died, we made contact with a highly recommended counsellor called Jenni Thomas. Jenni has been an incredible, invaluable support for us, of which also leads on to why we have chosen to support and collaborate with Rosie’s Rainbow Fund. Jenni is a Patron for both these charities, offering support for bereaved families just like us.

Jenni shared our story with Teddy’s Wish and put our name forward for their annual event ‘Reflect, Restore, Renew’. This we are so very thankful for.

A little about the event…The first event took place in September 2017 and has taken place each year since. Held in the beautiful and idyllic grounds of St. Katherines in Buckinghamshire, a number of bereaved parents join together to share their stories and allow a safe, caring environment to grief and connect with their lost child. Parents take part in various activities such as group therapy sessions, a creative therapy workshop, yoga and mindfulness meditation. An aromatherapist massage or treatment has been offered for parents to relax and unwind in the evenings. These events are fully funded and cost between £2500 and £5000 depending on whether it be a day or weekend retreat. Due to COVID, 2020 parents will be partaking in a day retreat.

Grayson’s Legacy Support Trust is in awe of the aims and purpose of Teddy’s Wish and hope to continue supporting them for many years to come.

A Just Giving page has been set with a goal of £2500 will all donations received going to Teddy’s Wish ‘Reflect, Restore, Renew’ retreat.

The families climb to the top…

Ollie T, cousin of Grayson will be trekking the rocky paths to reach the top of Mount Snowdon, in honour of his baby cousin. Ollie will be accompanied by his mum Vicky (Grayson's Auntie), Steve (Grayson's Grandad) & Craig (Grayson's Dadda). This will take place for ANE Awareness Day on the 31st July.

The bond that Ollie had with Grayson was the most precious to see and Grayson absolutely loved his cousin. Ollie is 9 years old and extremely nervous about the climb but says to himself everyday “I am doing this for Grayson”. He is looking forward to reaching the top and seeing the view but mostly about carrying energy snacks and a sandwich to enjoy at the top. He will be documenting his climb throughout and, signal dependant, will live stream footage to Grayson’s Facebook/instagram page.

A Just Giving page has been set with a goal of £500. All donations received will be used for fundraising events to raise awareness of ANE within our medical, research and general communities.

An amazing raise from TMS UK

We would like to thank Craigs place of work, TMS UK from the bottom of our hearts for the incredible contribution and donations in memory of our baby boy Grayson. When we returned home from the hospital, Craig had to let them know of what had happened. The support was second to none and behind the scenes, the team gathered to start a donation.

A number of weeks following, Craig received a call from a friend to say that they had raised some money and wanted to transfer it. This was to be used for anything that we needed, any support we required.

TMS uk workplace donated a huge £2300 … we still cannot believe the kind generosity, the thoughts for us and Grayson, the care, love and support.

The money raised will be used for the following: Donation towards Rosie’s Rainbow Fund, Teddy’s Wish and the set up cost of Grayson’s Legacy Support Trust.

Rosies Rainbow fund has supported us with bereavement support with counselling from the incredible Jenni Thomas OBE. They support sick & disabled children and their families at three hospitals- two of which supported us with the short care of Grayson (Stroke Mandeville, John Radcliffe and Berkshire hospital). They do so by providing music therapy sessions for children and have a designated therapy room for families to unwind, recoup and build strength to continue standing strong for their children. They also provide support in to research for childhood illnesses.

Teddy’s Wish has been in contact with us to invite us to the incredible ‘Reflect, Restore, Renew’ retreat taking place in September/October 2020. The retreats are fully funded by Teddy’s Wish and provide a safe place and time out for bereaved parents in a supporting, caring and confidential environment. The retreats are facilitated by the wonderful patrons Jenni Thomas and Nicki Whitworth.

We are in awe of the aims and achievements of these charities and only hope to achieve as much. We are so thankful for their support and the connections we have made with them, although its in circumstances we only dream that we would not have met through.

Rainbow Delights

Michelle Marks, a wonderful friend who I met at a baby group, asked us if she could do something to raise money in memory of Grayson. Of course, we did not object…to have someone ask to do something in memory of our beautiful baby boy is just such an incredible honour and so unbelievably thoughtful.

Michelle is a budding baker with a new found love to create marvellous cakes with the help of her nifty KitchenAid! Its clear to say she is fantastic- please check out her instagram page @shellyscakes20.

On the 10th June, she added a post to our local community Facebook page with the chance to win one of a selection of six rainbow cakes. One winner would be selected at random on the 30th June with two runner ups winning a box of six cupcakes each baked by myself. £1 per entry with the option to enter as many times as you wish- 100% of the money going to Rosie’s Rainbow Trust.

An amazing £260 has been raised and we could not be more thankful to the lovely Michelle and generous neighbours of our village. The support and messages have touched our hearts.