Faith, Mental Health, Hope’s Legacy — and Why We’d Love You to Join Us on 24th July
Last Thursday, I had the lovely privilege of joining Matt Brown on UCB 2’s My Story. You can watch the interview here:
It was such a warm, honest and meaningful conversation. Matt has a beautiful way of making space for real stories, and it was a joy to talk with him about Hope’s Therapy Dogs, the work we do, the heart behind it, and the very real mental health struggles we are seeing across society.
It was such a warm, honest and meaningful conversation. Matt has a beautiful way of making space for real stories, and it was a joy to talk with him about Hope’s Therapy Dogs, the work we do, the heart behind it, and the very real mental health struggles we are seeing across society.
We talked about children.
We talked about families.
We talked about neurodiversity.
We talked about business struggles, personal struggles, faith, grief, resilience, and hope.
And we talked about how God can still make beautiful things out of ruins.
Matt spoke candidly about his own family life, including the fact that three of his children are neurodiverse. I really appreciated his openness, because conversations like that matter. When people speak honestly and kindly about neurodiversity, mental health and family life, it helps others feel less alone.
And the truth is, so many people are feeling alone.
Across our schools, workplaces, families and communities, people are carrying huge amounts of pressure. Children are struggling with anxiety. Parents are stretched. Teachers and school staff are exhausted. Employers are trying to support staff wellbeing. Families are facing financial strain. And many people are quietly trying to keep going while feeling as though life has shaken them to the core.
That is something I understand.
During the interview, I spoke about some of the struggles I’ve faced, both within Hope’s Therapy Dogs and outside of it. This last season has not been easy. There have been difficult decisions, personal challenges, business pressures, painful moments, and times when I have genuinely wondered how everything would keep going.
But I have also seen, again and again, that God is faithful.
Not always in the way we expect.
Not always in the timing we would choose.
Not always by removing the hard thing.
But faithfully.
There is a verse in Isaiah that speaks of beauty coming from ashes, and I think that has become part of the heartbeat of Hope’s Therapy Dogs. Not because everything is neat and easy, but because I have seen what God can do with ruins.
Hope’s Therapy Dogs began because of my daughter, Hope.
Hope would have turned 18 this year.
That sentence alone is still hard to write.
She should be stepping into adulthood. She should be celebrating, laughing, planning, dreaming, probably bossing us all around, and making a lot of noise about the things she cared about.
Instead, we carry her legacy.
And what a legacy it is.
Through Hope’s Therapy Dogs, her story has helped bring comfort, confidence, courage and connection to so many children and young people. What began with one little girl and one very special dog has grown into work that reaches schools, families, NHS spaces, corporate teams and people who need hope in very real and practical ways.
That is why our upcoming afternoon tea with Cash for Kids Liverpool & North West matters so much.
On Friday 24th July, what would have been Hope’s 18th birthday, we are holding a special afternoon tea at Aloft Liverpool to raise money to help prevent holiday hunger.
We would absolutely love you to come.
You can book your ticket here:
And if you cannot attend but would still like to support, you can donate directly to our Cash for Kids fundraising page here:
You can also donate using the QR code on our event poster and social media posts.
We would love to see an amazing turnout.
Not just because it will be a special afternoon.
Not just because it will be a beautiful way to mark Hope’s birthday.
But because this is about children.
Holiday hunger is the reality faced by families who struggle to provide enough food during the school holidays, when children are no longer receiving the free school meals or school-based support they may rely on during term time.
For many families, the holidays are not a break. They are a pressure point.
When school stops, the cost of feeding children rises. For families already stretched by bills, rent, food prices, childcare, transport and everyday essentials, those extra weeks can become frightening. It is not simply about missing a treat or cutting back on days out. For some children, it means not knowing whether there will be enough food.
That should trouble all of us.
Recent UK figures show just how serious this issue is. The Food Foundation reported that around 15% of households with children were experiencing food insecurity in January 2026, affecting an estimated 2.2 million children. The Child Poverty Action Group reported that in summer 2025, 23% of surveyed parents said they would struggle to provide adequate meals for their children during the holidays. The Food Foundation has also reported teachers seeing more children coming into school too hungry to learn.
Behind every statistic is a child.
A child who cannot concentrate because they are hungry.
A child who feels embarrassed because there is not enough.
A child whose parent is quietly skipping meals to make sure the children can eat.
A child whose summer holiday is shaped not by fun and rest, but by worry.
That is why this event matters.
Cash for Kids already does incredible work supporting children affected by poverty, illness, neglect and additional needs. Partnering with them for this fundraiser feels deeply right, because both Hope’s Therapy Dogs and Cash for Kids have the welfare of children at the centre of what we do.
And I know Hope would have loved this.
She would have loved the idea of people coming together.
She would have loved the cake.
She would definitely have loved the afternoon tea.
But more than that, she would have loved knowing that children were being helped.
So this is my heartfelt ask.
Please come.
Bring a friend.
Bring a colleague.
Bring your team.
Buy a table.
Share the link.
Donate if you cannot attend.
Tell someone who may want to support it.
We want the room to be full. We want to honour Hope’s 18th birthday in a way that feels joyful, meaningful and full of purpose. We want to raise as much as we possibly can to help children who need support during the school holidays.
You can book tickets here:
You can donate here:
The interview with Matt reminded me again why stories matter.
When we tell the truth about struggle, it gives other people permission to breathe.
When we talk about mental health honestly, it reduces shame.
When we talk about neurodiversity with compassion, it helps families feel less alone.
When we talk about faith in the middle of ruins, it reminds us that broken things are not beyond redemption.
Hope’s Therapy Dogs is part of that story.
It is a story of loss, yes.
But it is also a story of love.
A story of resilience.
A story of children being helped.
A story of dogs bringing comfort where words are not enough.
A story of God making beautiful things out of ruins.
And on 24th July, we have the chance to write another small part of that story together.
We would love you to be there.
Let’s fill the room.
Let’s celebrate Hope’s legacy.
Let’s help prevent holiday hunger.
Let’s make a real difference for children who need it most.
Book your ticket here:
Donate here: