Making memories with Halo: Sophie’s first pony ride

Halo Children’s Foundation is a charity based in Hayes which helps to support bereaved children. One of their aims is to provide positive experiences for the children and to help them build new happy memories. We started going to the monthly group with Sophie a couple of months after Jessica died. Sophie has enjoyed being with the other children and taking part in the various activities. This month, we had some four-legged visitors to the group – two beautiful Shetland ponies.

 

 

The children all had the opportunity to ride the ponies around the park near where Halo is based. Sophie had never ridden a pony before and was very excited about getting to ride one for the first time.

 

 

She was very confident getting on the pony and holding on to the front of the saddle as the pony trotted around the park. As you can see from the big smile, she loved her first pony ride.

 

 

As soon as she’d finished and got off the pony, she was back in the queue again to have another go. This time she got to ride the other pony. There were lots of big smiles again and a few waves for Mummy.

 

 

There was plenty of time and the opportunity for more pony rides but Sophie was quite happy with having ridden on both ponies and the outdoor gym equipment was now more appealing.

 

 

I love how she was quite good at managing to operate most of it despite it all being far too big for her!

 

 

She also had fun picking up handfuls of leaves and pretending to be an autumn tree. This involved gathering lots of leaves and then throwing them up in the air. Simple autumn fun at its best.

 

 

It was a lovely mild day and Thomas also enjoyed lying on his mat in the sunshine and getting to kick his arms and legs about.

 

 

Making memories without Jessica is, and will always be, very bittersweet. I’m grateful though for the support that Halo offers to Sophie and for the opportunities for making new happy memories that the group helps to provide.