Today we heard the sad news of the passing of our Patron Dame Esther. Rantzen.
I first contacted Esther asking her if she would like to write a message for our “Tree of Hope” I was astonished when I got a very quick response, not only did she write a message but she asked Marc and I to go and meet her in London.
I had no idea what would be the result of that meeting.
She had recently become a grandparent herself, so understood the magic of becoming a grandparent.
As a result of that meeting, where she had invited the producer of The One Show, who wanted to do a feature on grandparent estrangement, and what followed was extraordinary.
Esther came to my house and met with members of BGSG, we drank tea and ate lemon drizzle cake! And the first feature was filmed.
The response from that show was overwhelming, not only for me but for Esther as well.
Literally hundreds of grandparents and grandchildren contacted her, so much so that we were asked to do a follow up, which we did.
Esther came to Bristol once again, bringing with her hundreds of emails in box files, we read each and every one of them, sitting in my garden.
It was without a doubt Esther’s involvement that enabled us to raise the awareness of grandparent estrangement.
It was Esther who introduced us to Nigel Huddleston MP, who brought the debate to Westminster.
Esther will have many legacies, but for BGSG her legacy will be her passion for the importance of grandchildren and grandparent relationships, and her wonderful empathy towards others.
To me personally, she gave me confidence to move forward with BGSG and I will be eternally grateful for her friendship over the years that followed.
It was a privilege to know her and an honour to have her as our Patron.
Thank you Esther, rest in peace. x
