The 2014
Mayo Wynne Baxter
Volunteer Day
All staff working for Mayo
Wynne Baxter are able to
use one working day to
volunteer for the charity of
their choice. Gail Waller,
Anjli Majevadia, Sinead
McGeady and Catalina
Panaitescu-Beacroft spent
their day gardening for a
special children’s charity.
On 10 July 2014, four of the MWB team
spent the day volunteering at Chestnut
Tree House, near Arundel, the only
children’s hospice in Sussex.
Cat, Anjli, Sinead and I arrived at
the House in the morning with some
trepidation, not least because of the
ominous clouds overhead and the prospect
of gardening in the rain. We were warmly
greeted by Shelley, the grounds manager,
and, after a quick health and safety briefing
over coffee, we were given our tools
and put to work clearing the overgrown
vegetation and weeds on the side of a
small hill in the grounds.
Although we’d been assured that we
could work at a leisurely pace, we were
all keen to achieve as much as possible
during the day so we put our backs into
the digging, chopping and raking.
through the memorial books in which
parents had added favourite memories
of their child.
Fortunately, the clouds disappeared
and we were blessed with glorious
sunshine so it was delightful to be
working outside in the fresh air. After
lunch, we completed our work by raking
wood chippings over the hill and the
surrounding area to prepare it for seeding
with grass and wildflowers. We all felt
pleased with a job well done and no
doubt the area will look great when the
flowers come through.
Our sombre thoughts were soon
interrupted by a lively little boy running
though the House giggling and calling for
his daddy to keep up. Seeing him running
around the grounds and playing on the
swings with a huge smile on his face
really brought home to us the true value
of the services provided by Chestnut Tree
House. All of us agreed that the warm,
positive atmosphere pervading the House
was not what we had expected but clearly
made it a special place for families to
spend time together.
On our tour of the House in the afternoon
we were impressed by the quality of the
facilities and the vast array of equipment
available to the children – everything from
musical instruments and arts and crafts to
computers and multi-sensory rooms.
As a reward for our efforts, the chef had
baked a delicious chocolate cake, which
we enjoyed with a cuppa before heading
off home, tired but happy.
Apparently the hydrotherapy pool, with its
built-in projector, is particularly popular with
the children, many of whom are unable to
use facilities at their local swimming pool
because of the risk of infection.
A day’s care at Chestnut Tree House
costs £6,850 and the majority of that
money comes from fundraising but
the work of volunteers at the House is
equally crucial to its continued success.
The Reflection Room is a beautiful,
tranquil corner looking out on to a pond
and is a place for contemplation by
families, regardless of their religion or
culture. We all found this part of the
tour quite emotional, particularly looking
We would certainly encourage any other
MWB staff to get involved and give a few
hours of their time for this amazing place.
By Gail Waller
Parenting
After Parting
Your relationship with your
partner may have ended but
if you have children together
your role as parents has not.
Parenting can be challenging
at the best of time let alone
doing it with someone that
you are separating from so
where on earth do you start!
Every family is different and the
arrangements for your children should be
tailor made to suit your family’s individual
circumstances. The focus of any
arrangements must be on your children’s
needs and any decisions about children
should be based solely on the children’s
best interests.
There is no one solution that suits all
families. There is no rule about how
responsibilities for looking after and
raising children should be shared and
divided, except that the overriding factor
to consider is what is best in the interests
of the children, not the parents.
It’s not easy to work out parenting
arrangements with a former partner when
a relationship breaks down, so if you are
struggling to reach an agreement don’t
worry, that’s not unusual. Here are some
tips that can help parents work things out:
1. Try and develop a shared set of values,
this can make things easier for your
children because they hear consistent
messages and are not exposed to
high levels of parental conflict. To help
work this out spend time thinking about
what you hoped for when the children
were born, what you hope for them
now and when they are older and what
sort of people you would like them to
become. Your parenting values may
not be identical, but try to respect each
other’s values.
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2. Try to address issues instead of hanging
on to anger and hurt. Moving forward is
important for you and your children.
3. Put your feelings towards your former
partner aside, talk to them respectfully
as the parent of your children. When
discussing issues, avoid blame.
4. Listen to each other’s opinions and
ideas before responding.
5. Don’t spring issues on V6