A charity Zumbathon is taking place this Saturday, 23 March, at Fletcher Hall in Swinton, all in aid of Beyond Bea and 4Louis.
The two charities support anyone affected by miscarriage, stillbirth and the death of a baby or child, and aim to educate healthcare professionals in order to improve bereavement care.
The event will take place at Fletcher Hall on Vicarage Road, Swinton, M27 0WA, between 10:30am and 12pm and is hosted by Emma Leatherbarrow, along with four other instructors.
Emma has a 16 month old son named Luke, who she looks after in between teaching classes.
She explained: “It took me quite a long time to have him, I lost a little boy almost 4 years ago now, he was born asleep. We had a few losses after that and finally we’ve got our little boy, a rainbow baby as they call them.”
4Louis also offer memory boxes to allow bereaved families to keep mementos of their baby.
Emma explained: “I remember getting a 4Louis box when I lost my little boy, the midwife there was great, they knew what to do, what to say.
“At the end of the day, although you give birth in hospital, you’re leaving the hospital without a baby and it’s about dealing with that as well.”
Emma added: “If they can give training to all these healthcare professionals and midwives, then it can maybe lessen that blow a little. That midwife might not necessarily know what that person is going through when they lose the baby, but they might have that training behind them to help.”
Anyone can take part in the Zumbathon with a £10 donation that will be split equally between the two charities.
Emma explained: “It’s about giving back to the community, if we can dance for 90 minutes, non-stop, and get people to sponsor us, it’s just giving back to charity really. It’s just something that’s always interested me and it’s something I enjoy doing.
“I know that I’ve got support there from the ladies, it’s not just me that wants to raise money for charity, it’s a group decision.”
Emma added: “I’ve met a whole new group of friends, I call them my Zumba family. I’ve met some friends that I’ll be friends with for life. We all go through ups and downs in our lives, we’re all there for each other.”
Emma, who was previously an accountant, has been teaching Zumba for eight years and has hosted four previous charity Zumbathon events, one raising around £1200 for Crohns & Colitis UK and Breast Cancer Care.
Emma teaches three Zumba classes a week in Swinton, to find out more about her classes have a look at her Facebook page.
Image credit: Emma Leatherbarrow
Recent Comments