A FOOTBALL team helping men affected by baby, child, and pregnancy loss has been formed by a father suffering from PTSD after the loss of his daughter.
Gary and Sarah Andrews lost their daughter Wynter in 2019 at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre as a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain caused by infection and problems during labour. A coroner ruled a year later that her death was a result of "obvious neglect" and "repeated failures" by responsible staff.
The couple, who live in Wantage, started a bereavement support charity in 2020 called Wynter’s Wish in her memory and now Mr Andrews is now starting a football team called Wynter’s Wish FC.
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The team, which meets on Wednesdays at 6.30pm at Edmonds park in Didcot, is to help men struggling with their mental health after the loss of a child.
Mr Andrews said: “After the death of Wynter, I really struggled with my mental health, anxiety, PTSD and depression.
“At the time we had contacted bereavement charities and went through the doctor but there was a long wait list.
“For men, it’s quite difficult to get the right help especially when you’re talking about baby loss. I wanted to be as strong as I could for Sarah.
“I felt I needed to be there and be strong for her. It’s hard when you’re really struggling with your own demons.”
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Mr Andrews then found SANDS United FC, a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, to help men “come together through a shared love of sport” and he joined his local team in Nottingham.
“But then we moved back to Oxford,” he said. “I was still struggling with mental health. In recognising there wasn’t a lot out there for men I felt it could be quite nice to offer something to people going through that same heartbreak.”
Mr Andrews originally started the team in August last year but due his bad mental health and the complicated birth of his son, Bowie, he had to take a step back.
However, Adam Sellwood, who coaches Didcot youth football, has agreed to run the training sessions.
Mr Andrews said: “I’m quite passionate that I’m going to get it right. That’s why I reached out to Adam as it means that we can run weekly sessions even if I have a bad mental health day.
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“Football offers an extra coping strategy that will relieve the symptoms that people are experiencing - it’s a friendly supportive environment open to all abilities.”
To take part, or for more information, email: wynterswishunitedfc@gmail.com
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Read more from this author
This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.
Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland
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