A few words about how my face ended up on this webpage!

My first husband Mark died very suddenly and unexpectedly in hospital in February 2018, while I stood with our children (then aged 2 and 4) at his bedside. The absolute lack of support for the children left me completey bewildered. A short while after Mark’s death I returned to my job (as a Palliative Care CNS) and wondered how things might be better for those who followed.

The idea for Made a Mark came from a casual chat with my sister Lauren while standing in a children’s play park. Since registering with the Charity Commission in 2018 we have supplied hundreds of memory boxes to organisations across England. Never could we have imagined the challenges we would face along the road and just how far we would come.

In another twist I could not have foreseen, I was lucky enough to meet an amazing man, who is now my husband! Alistair has not only helped us to live and love again but has become a valued trustee of Made a Mark and holds the role of Treasurer (along with the hundreds of other tasks he takes on!).

I could not be prouder of our fabulous team, all of whom give their effort, skills and time at no cost in order that we can help as manay children as possible. Our reward is knowing that our work offers other opportunities that were not available to us, and that makes it all worth it.

I also could not be prouder of our children, Casey and Parker, who are the bravest people I know. They can frequently be found getting involved and generally causing trouble at charity events! They are the faces of our logo, so really are at the centre of all we do.

I first found out about this amazing charity when I met Keri, Casey and Parker as mentioned above in Keri’s words.

I first started by helping with hauling memory boxes up and down the stairs and down to the Royal Mail office, this soon transitioned more towards an admin role by taking on the website and other jobs.

Fast forward today and I’m really proud to say I’ve officially joined the team as a Trustee and have also taken on the role of Treasurer!

Hello, I'm Jackie. 

I was a friend and colleague of Keri's when Mark unexpectedly died. As a mother and grandmother I readily agreed to become a trustee to help fulfil Keri and Lauren's inspiration to support bereaved children. I am very proud to be part of a team that has provided so many memory boxes to enable children and those around them to initiate conversations, retain and make new memories. 

Hello, I'm Lauren. The sister who's casual comment in a conversation with Keri sparked this whole idea! Little did we know then what would follow. As well as being a Made a Mark Trustee I'm also a wife, mother of two & a midwife. The charity work certainly keeps us all busy but the children are our inspiration! 

I am Karen, Keri's mum and I was mum in law to Mark, such a great husband to Keri and dad to my 2 lovely grandchildren.

Until the day that Mark died in front of my daughter and her children I had never given a thought to the fact this even happens, but it does, it happens to ordinary families every day.

I was suddenly mother to a 32 year old widow and nanny to our grandchildren who had lots of heart wrenching questions for me to answer. The shocking absence of support for Keri and the two children with guidance on how to move forward led us to the concept of Made a Mark boxes.

We hope the resources inside will help to fill the gap for other families who face the devastating loss of a parent or sibling.