We are raising £3,500 to buy a memorial bench for our lovely Mum Sally Connolly at Kearsney Abbey. This is something we have taken a few months to feel ready to do. Grief has its own timetable, and only now do we feel strong enough to turn our loss into something beautiful and lasting.

Our mum was mischief, kindness and laughter all rolled into one. She was the sort of person who could make you feel a little better with one joke, one perfectly timed bit of cheekiness or just an outrageous amount of swearing. People were always drawn to her. Sitting with her meant you would leave lighter than when you arrived.

We want to create a place where that feeling can live on.

A bench at Kearsney Abbey would give us somewhere real and peaceful to go and sit with her, to talk to her, to remember her stories and hear her laugh in our heads. Somewhere we can bring Nan with flowers. Somewhere we can bring the kids on birthdays and special days. Somewhere friends can come, sit down, and have a quiet chat with their very funny, beautiful old friend when they need comfort or a smile.

This bench is not just for us. It is for everyone who loved her, and even for those who never met her but need a moment of peace beside the water and trees. A small place in the world marked with her name and her spirit.

If you are able to give anything at all, we are so grateful. If you cannot donate, sharing this means just as much. Thank you for helping us celebrate our mum and commemorate her life with love, laughter and a place to sit and remember.