Forget-Me-Knot FC launches to support bereaved dads in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire
"This community has become a life saver for me and other men.”
A new football team has been launched to support bereaved dads in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
Forget-Me-Knot FC brings together men who have lost a child to share their stories, swap advice and find comfort in the company of other men who understand. Sessions begin with an hour of conversation where men can talk freely without judgment before a relaxed game of football.
The group is aimed at men in the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire area who have lost a baby or child, or experienced pregnancy loss. The group is focused on dads but acknowledges that grief can impact the whole family, and is also open to grandads, brothers and uncles.
James Routledge (pictured above, in the middle of the front row), whose baby Teddy died last year, said: “It’s so powerful to be able to say the unsayable in a room where everyone ‘gets it’, as well as sharing practical advice and experiences.
“Spaces like this are so rare and needed for men. This community has become a life saver for me and other men.”
The team is affiliated with Royal Stoke University Hospital and University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), and is in partnership with the Port Vale Foundation. The group meets every other Monday evening at 6:30pm at Port Vale FC in Burslem.
Forget-Me-Knot FC hopes to grow into a wider community for bereaved dads across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. They hope eventually to play against other teams set up for the same purpose, such as Honeysuckle FC in Liverpool, Angels United FC in Manchester and Sands United, which has clubs around the country.
To join the group or for more information, email Brett Pointon at Port Vale Foundation on brett.pointon@port-vale.co.uk or the Bereavement Midwifery team at Royal Stoke on nos-tr.bereavementmidwife@nhs.net