Just 4 days until #NationalSiblingsDay2023!
We are very much looking forward to celebrating National Siblings Day on Monday 10th April this year. National Siblings Day is a wonderful opportunity to shine a light on the value of sibling relationships, to highlight what an important role siblings play in the lives of their disabled brothers and sisters and to celebrate siblings in their own right too!
Use the hashtag #SiblingStrengths and tell us the strengths you’ve gained from being a sibling. Whether it is patience or resilience (or like Sarah, being a multi-tasker) we would love to hear about them! Do get your school, workplace, support group and organisations involved too. Check out our webpage here for social media graphics and more.
Young siblings and National Siblings Day!
Our latest spotlight blog helps young siblings know how they can celebrate the day. We also have free colouring, writing and drawing sheets for young siblings – why not share your artwork and tag Sibs: #SiblingStrengths #NationalSiblingsDay2023.
You can also share your artwork in our online gallery – just drop us an email with your artwork attached and we will share it.
Thanks to all 60 young siblings who are joining us for our art sessions on Saturday 15th April – these are now fully booked. We very much look forward to your clay art making!
How parents can support National Siblings Day
We know that it can be difficult for parents to juggle the needs of their children, and parents tell us that sometimes young siblings’ needs can get overlooked. National Siblings Day is a brilliant opportunity to show your sibling child how much you value them. We have put together a page of tips and ideas for how you can shine a light on your sibling child/children on Monday.
Our meet the author event is on Thursday 6th April!
Manni Coe, sibling author of Brother.Do.You.Love.Me will be joining us in the run-up to National Siblings Day to share a little about his experiences and how his book came about. This event is for adult siblings only and will take place on Thursday 6th April at 7pm via Zoom. Tickets cost £5 (let us know if cost is a barrier to attending in confidence at info@sibs.org.uk). Book your place here.
What my severely disabled sister taught me about resilience and love
Adult sibling Chloe Newton has shared her sibling experiences with the iNewspaper in the lead-up to National Siblings Day this year. Chloe says “My mum, dad, sister and I lived in a small village, so everyone would always ask “how’s Phoebe?”, and as a little girl I’d sometimes think, “why is no one asking how I am?” You can read the full article here.
3 copies of ‘Me and My Sister’ to giveaway
“Me and My Sister” is a picture book written for children, about growing up with an autistic sister. It is written and illustrated by sibling author Rose Robbins. This is a lovely book for parents to read with young siblings and will help start those conversations about the enjoyable and difficult aspects of their family lives. Fill out your details here for a chance to win. Applications close on 10th April.
Win a family home movie night!
Wonder is the story of Auggie a boy born with a craniofacial condition. Part of the story is told by Via, Auggie’s older sister, who begins high school at the same time that Auggie starts middle school. Via has had to come to terms with the fact that her family’s world revolves around Auggie and his needs; hers often get pushed to the side. A lovely family film to share. If you would like to be in with the chance of winning a copy of the film and popcorn too, fill in your details here Applications close on 10th April.
3 copies of brother.do.you.love.me to giveaway
Brother.do.you.love me is written by sibling Manni Coe and illustrated by his brother Reuben Coe who has Down’s Syndrome. It is the story of brotherhood during a pandemic, about mental health, carer burnout and ultimately love and support. We have 3 copies to give away to adult siblings as part of our National Siblings Day celebrations. Fill in your details here for a chance to get a free copy.
Molly’s fun day
Dr Amie Griffiths from Cardiff University has shared some of her research with young siblings to mark National Siblings Day this year. Read her blog here.
For adult siblings on National Siblings Day
This Monday will be a day of celebrating siblings. Use the hashtag #SiblingStrengths and tell us about your own strengths or those you admire in others. Read the #SiblingStrengths of other adult siblings and join an adult sibling support group to meet other siblings too.
We also recognise that this day may be hard for many adult siblings who are separated from their brother or sister(s) and siblings whose brother or sister has died. It may be a difficult day for siblings who don’t have a close relationship with their brother or sister but feel pressured to. We are here for everyone this National Siblings Day. Here are some ideas on how to spend the day, whatever your sibling situation.
Sibs needs your support
National Siblings Day is the pinnacle in the Sibs calendar and an important way to shine a light on the important role we play as a charity. Paying for sibling work is always challenging and we are reliant on donors and grant makers to fund our work. If you can support us with a small donation, we would very much appreciate it. We recognise too that these are also tough times for siblings in the UK. Remember telling others about our work or sharing a post on social media is also very powerful. If you have links to grant making bodies through your own connections, we would very much like to hear from you. Thank you again for helping Sibs sustain its work over the coming year.
Happy National Siblings Day!
Clare Kassa
Chief Executive