In September 2006, after 2 years of hard work, we finally achieved charitable status, and are now working towards realising one of our many ambitions: to offer more support to Members who suffer chronic bereavement-like symptoms for many years.

We reach out to these mothers in the blackest depths of despair at a time when their children no longer want to see them, or can no longer see them. Subscriptions are kept deliberately low to make sure no one is excluded on financial grounds.

Our income is derived from these subscriptions [currently £6 to join and £10 to re-join], small donations of money, and large amounts of the voluntary Trustees’ time and goodwill.

This year (2007) we also have some specially designed Greetings Card Packs, the design costs of which were donated so we just paid for the printing.

From April 2007 onwards we applied to many Trusts and grant-making bodies but soon discovered that, within the Directory of Social Change, for instance, we fall within very narrow search areas, i.e. “women” or “unpopular causes” or outside the narrow geographical areas specified by some Trusts.

The MATCH Trustees would like to find more support from the wider community as well as Trusts and grant-making bodies interested in supporting our work. Any pro bono advice from professional fund-raisers would be welcome.

In August 2007, however, we were very pleased to be given our first Grant towards the costs of redeveloping this website. We are indebted to the Trustees of the Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust to whom we are extremely grateful.

You can donate to MATCH in the following ways:

• Give by Standing Order
• Make a one-off donation
• Remember MATCH in your Will
• Gift Aid it