A PERSONAL TESTIMONY BY
Dawn Oliver
Partner, Harrison Clark LLP.

As solicitors working on wills and the administration of estates, all the team in Harrison Clark's probate department see the devastating impact that a death can have on a family. This is magnified tenfold when a young family is involved, whether the death is expected or not. As lawyers we are there to help in the short term with the legal formalities, but the family, especially children, need longer-term bereavement support, which Noah's Ark does a fantastic job of providing.

Through my role as a trustee of the charity I have seen at first-hand the charity's bereavement team helping families through some of the toughest times possible and bringing a smile to the face of a grieving child.

Not only does Noah's Ark help the children it is working with, it can help the businesses which support it too. For Harrison Clark, linking the charity has helped it gain an insight into the impact of bereavement, bringing a better understanding to our work with families who have lost someone close. Working on fundraising projects has helped us build a team; we have pulled together to makeor beat our targets.

From a personal view, as a mother of young children as well as a lawyer, I was delighted to get involved as a trustee to help Noah's Ark. My father died suddenly when I was only 12, but 30 years ago there was no such support. It is only now in my adult life that I realise just what a huge impact the loss had on our young lived and on my mother, who struggled to cope with her own loss as well as ours.

The support that the Noah's Ark bereavement team give, working one-to-one with the children and their families, sends out the clear message that they are not alone and that there is hope for the future. Many of them have lost parents or siblings in not only tragic, but sometimes violent circumstances and it is vital that we support them through these times, often by involving them in a series of one-to-one sessions and residential weekends.

More and more children and families are coming to Noah's Ark for help, so in turn Noah's Ark needs the help and support of individuals and the business community. There is very little, if any, goverment funding to provide such services and I would urge anyone to get in touch and get involved - it will help you as much as it helps them.