Hello,
It is with the consideration of everyone at the heart of what SiMBA as a charity does and stands for that we are reaching out to you. We are making contact because of the exceptional circumstances we are all facing with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. We would like to reassure you that we are consistently following the government advice and with that in mind, our Board of Trustees and Management have put a plan in place that will allow the work of our charity and the support we offer to continue as best as we can throughout this uncertain time.
The safety and wellbeing of our staff, parents, volunteers, health care professionals, fundraisers and families is of the utmost importance to us, therefore we will be limiting all non-essential contact with others in order to support the government guidance and reduce any risk across our SiMBA community. As a result, we will be postponing the following activities with immediate effect:
- All face to face and community support groups
- Monthly support groups
- Craft groups
- Volunteering activities (that involve contact with others)
- Visits to the SiMBA offices
- Training with healthcare support staff
We remain committed to offering support during this time with our online support groups still available. We are currently exploring the possibility of holding virtual groups and you will find further information on our website and social media when it is available.
We have also made the very difficult decision to suspend our Butterfly releases for 2020. We understand the importance of our Butterfly Releases to the SiMBA community and we will review this decision again once things settle. If safe to do so, we may look to hold releases later in the year.
The provision of SiMBA memory boxes across the UK and Ireland will continue as this is such a fundamental part of our charity’s work. Our dedicated team will continue to safely supply Memory Boxes to hospitals and hospices throughout this period. If you are a healthcare professional and require a supply of boxes, please order them online or contact Zoey Linton.
Although the SiMBA office is closed at this present time, we will be operating ‘business as usual’ as much as possible. Staff will be working more flexible hours through home working so that we can support our team’s personal circumstances. SiMBA telephone numbers and emails are still accessible and we will continue to receive postal mail during this time.
We remain committed to supporting our amazing fundraisers with their plans - without you, we would not be here. Understandably, though, some events are being rescheduled, postponed, or cancelled, in order to prevent spread of the virus. The situation is frequently changing, so we encourage all of our fundraisers to check our Fundraising Events page for updates on organised events or fill in our online form.
As a valued member of our SiMBA family, we appreciate the trust you place in our charity and our team. It is of great importance to us all that we minimise any negative impact on charity performance throughout this challenging time. Although we do not know how long we must operate in this way, we will provide you with regular updates to keep you informed of any changes to our services. We strive to provide alternative service offerings so that our community continues to feel supported and connected.
We thank everyone for your understanding and appreciate everything you continue to do to support our charity. For the most up to date information on SiMBA and any of our services, including fundraising, support, our Trees of Tranquillity and volunteer knitting, please keep an eye on our website and our social media through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin
We will aim to keep you informed with regular communication on how we are adapting our services throughout this time.
With warmest regards,
Sara Fitzsimmons MBE, RM
CEO SiMBA Charity
