Our objectives
Who We Are: A Home for Hearts that Hurt
Hi, we are Heaven's Playground Org.
We're a loss support charity, and honestly, we’re sorry that there is such a need for our services. We were born out of deep, personal experience - our founder, Michelle, started this journey after navigating several personal losses, including the profound loss of her stillborn daughter. She discovered that helping others was the key to healing, and that's the heart of our mission.
Who We Support: The Loss Community
So, who are we here for? Simply put, anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one, whatever the circumstances and whoever the person was. Loss comes in countless forms - a parent, a sibling, a beloved friend, a partner, even a pet - and we want to be a source of solace for all those hurts.
But we have a particularly special place in our hearts for those who have experienced child loss - whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or the loss of an older child. This kind of loss can leave people feeling incredibly isolated, like they’re stranded on an island. Our community is made up of people looking for a bridge, a safe space where the weight of grief is understood without them having to say a single word. If you’ve been touched by loss and need someone in your corner, you are our community.
How We Help: Holding a Hand and Honouring Love
We offer support that is both practical and deeply heartfelt. We want to do more than just talk; we want to actively help you remember and connect.
Our main projects and forms of support include:
- Memory Boxes: These are a huge part of what we do. We donate Memory Boxes and Packs to hospitals and Funeral Services and make them available individually to the wider community. These carefully curated packs provide bereaved families with a way to gather precious, physical memories of their child, no matter how brief their life was. It’s about ensuring a legacy from day one.
- Always Here to Talk: We are genuinely always available to talk. When friends and family are struggling to find the right words, we’re the safe space where you can share your pain, your memories and your struggles with someone who has walked a similar path and understands the silent language of grief.
- Remembrance Projects: We know how vital it is to keep their names alive. Through projects like the Perpetual Flame for Our Angels, where we light a virtual candle for their memory, and our downloadable Certificates of Life, we help families acknowledge and celebrate the lives that were too short. We also share beautiful, free graphics and can even personalize them with your angel's name, so you can share and remember them proudly.
We’re here to provide that crucial connection, a place where we actively support and are there for each other, always remembering our loved ones in the way we would like to.
Why Our Help Matters: Making Space for What's Real
Our work matters because profound grief needs acknowledgement. When a loss is overwhelming, the world often rushes you to "get over it" or "move on." We stand in the space between the pain and the future and say, "Wait, this life mattered, this pain is real, and it needs to be talked about."
The truth is that many people who haven’t experienced this level of loss - even the most well-meaning loved ones - find it incredibly hard to connect or understand what’s happening inside you. This isolation is often one of the most painful parts of the journey.
Heaven's Playground Org exists to fill that void. We create a supportive environment for those in the loss community to provide that connection for each other. By acknowledging the loss, talking about it openly, and celebrating the life through our projects, we help families move through their grieving process. We aim to offer families solace for the present and, most importantly, hope for the future, ensuring that their loved ones are never forgotten. It’s about turning deep sadness into a reason to connect, help others, and honour the most important love of all.
Our activities
At Heaven's Playground Org, every action we take is guided by a powerful, simple goal: to provide tangible support, a sense of community, and lasting remembrance for those who have experienced loss.
We channel our energy into four main areas, ensuring our help is both immediate and long-term.
1. The Memory Box Project: Preserving Precious Moments
This is one of our most direct and impactful activities. The Memory Box Project is all about giving newly bereaved families something precious to hold onto right at the start of their journey.
- Creating Comfort: We meticulously assemble Memory Boxes, Sibling Boxes and Early Loss Boxes filled with items designed to help families gather and cherish mementos of their loved one, especially after child loss (like stillbirth or neonatal death).
- Hospital Outreach: A key part of this involves donating these boxes directly to hospitals and bereavement suites. This ensures essential memory-making tools are immediately available during those heartbreaking, critical hours after a loss.
- Community Access: We also make these boxes available to Funeral Homes and through our website, allowing loved ones to purchase and donate a box to someone they know is struggling.
These boxes are more than just containers; they are a lifeline that validates the life that was too short and provides a physical, loving link to their child.
2. Emotional Support and Connection: Being There to Talk
Grief often feels incredibly isolating, and the backbone of our organization is simply being available to listen and connect without judgment.
- Always Open Ears: Our promise is that we are always available to talk. When someone reaches out, they connect with our team who have navigated their own loss. This shared experience means they find a space where their pain is truly understood.
- Fostering Community: We actively build the "loss community," encouraging peer-to-peer support. We believe it's vital for those who have experienced loss to be there for each other, offering a place where there's no pressure to "move on."
- Sharing Comfort: We use our words, designs and content to provide comfort and reinforce the message that their loved one's life should be acknowledged and talked about.
This continuous connection helps combat the loneliness that accompanies grief, providing a safe, understanding space for true healing.
3. Lasting Remembrance Projects: Honouring and Sharing Their Names
Love doesn't end with loss and neither should the opportunity to honour that love. Our projects are designed to ensure that every angel is remembered, seen and spoken about.
- Perpetual Flame & Tributes: We host the Perpetual Flame for Our Angels on our website, where names can be added to be honoured with a continuous, virtual candle. We also create video tributes for events like the Wave of Light, making sure their names are said aloud.
- Angel Cards & Certificates: We help families with tangible tools for memory. This includes creating and providing beautiful Angel Cards for special occasions such as Mother's/Father's Day and downloadable Certificates of Life. These serve as simple yet powerful acknowledgements of a loved one's existence and their place in the family's story.
- Free Graphics: We create and share beautiful, angel-related graphics and visuals that people can download for free or ask us to personalize with their angel's name. This gives people a visual way to share and remember them proudly.
These activities keep the memories alive, give a public voice to private pain, and help the grieving process by celebrating the life that was.
4. General Outreach and Resource Sharing
Finally, we ensure our support is accessible and we connect families with a wider network of services.
- Online Shop for Funding: We manage a small online shop featuring angel-related comfort items at reasonable prices. This activity not only provides useful items but also helps fund our charitable projects, like the Memory Box donations.
- Partnerships & Resources: We work alongside partners like Aching Arms and the BLAA (Baby Loss Awareness Alliance), broadening the scope of support available and acting as a central resource hub for families seeking help.
- Raising Awareness: We consistently work to raise awareness about the need for loss support, especially around acknowledging all forms of loss, ensuring the wider community understands why this conversation is so important.
This holistic approach means we can continue our mission and provide a wide array of support, helping to give bereaved families solace for the present and hope for the future.
