A new football club has launched to help bereaved dads talk, connect and find a community of support.
Forget-Me-Knot, ran in partnership with Port Vale Foundation in Burslem, offers a mix of changing room conversations and on-pitch action.
Aimed at men in the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire area who have lost a baby, child or experienced pregnancy loss, it is focussed on dads but also acknowledges that grief can impact the whole family and is also open to grandads, brothers and uncles.
The group begins with an hour of conversation where men can talk without judgment or the need to censor themselves.
Founder James Routledge, 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.”
Forget-Me-Knot FC plans to hold regular meetups and hopes to grow into a wider community for bereaved dads across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire with the aim to play against other teams set up for the same purposes, like Honey Suckle FC in Liverpool, Angels United and Sands United.
The group – affiliated with Royal Stoke University Hospital and University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust – meets every other Monday evening at Port Vale FC in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
To join, or enquire, email brett.pointon@port-vale.co.uk or nos-tr.bereavementmidwife@nhs.net
