Love, Jasmine
2324. Rob Lapsley
2325. Kathy Lapsley
Rob and Kathy Lapsley, from Merseyside, have supported hundreds of bereaved families who have lost children in memory of their daughter Jasmine, who was just six-years old when she died after choking on a grape while on holiday in 2014.
Following the sudden loss of Jasmine, Rob and Kathy set up the ‘Love, Jasmine’ charity in her memory in 2016, using their personal experience of grief to provide understanding and help to parents that are suffering in the same way. ‘Love, Jasmine’ provides support to families from those in the 20th week of pregnancy, as well as to those families who have lost adult children.
The support that each family needs is different, and ‘Love, Jasmine’ provides a wide range of options to bereaved families. To access support, families can self-refer through the charity’s website, where they can also read about the different types of support services including counselling, peer group support, yoga, meditation, complementary therapies and practical help, which includes helping families travel to and from appointments.
The charity now receives nearly 200 new referrals a year, with many families receiving ongoing support for many years.
Congratulating Rob and Kathy on their award, Paula Barker, Rob and Kathy’s local MP for Liverpool Wavertree, said:
“A huge congratulations to ‘Love, Jasmine’ on being nominated for the Points of Light Award. I am incredibly proud to have ‘Love, Jasmine’ based in my constituency. Rob and Kathy Lapsley have turned their unimaginable loss and grief into something incredible. Using their understanding of what it is like to face trauma they have set up a dedicated bereavement support service for families who have lost a child. By establishing ‘Love, Jasmine’, Rob and Kathy Lapsley have improved the lives of bereaved families across the Merseyside area.
“Every family should receive the support they need, when they need it, and for as long as they need it. ‘Love, Jasmine’s’ self-referral system and one-to-one support as well as group support, both in-person and remotely, is amazing, and so vital for families going through one of the hardest things a family could ever face. I’m so glad ‘Love, Jasmine’ is getting the recognition it deserves. Well done on your incredible work!”
Rob and Kathy said:
“We’re really pleased to be recipients of a cross party supported award which recognises the work of the voluntary sector and, in particular, our work supporting families bereaved by the loss of a child.”
Find out more about ‘Love, Jasmine’
