When we launched our trail to schools back in September we had no idea what the level of uptake would be.

So we are absolutely delighted that when we launch our trail in just 15 days’ time, it will include a total of 26 school-decorated wallabies.

The small wallabies form an integral part of the trail, and will be clustered in mobs at various indoor public locations around the island along with those decorated by our community groups.

We have been blown away with the creativity and quality of designs that our island’s young people have come up with and have thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories behind them, each unique to its school.

We know that you will get just as much enjoyment from discovering the colourful creations throughout the summer and hope that you feel as proud of our schools and young people as we do.

Every school involved has pledged to raise £1,000 per sculpture over a 12 month period in order to keep their own wallaby at the end of the trail.

Many of our schools are already well on their way to meeting, or surpassing this total, and we have loved hearing about the innovative ways in which they have been meeting their targets.

In addition to designing and fundraising for their wallabies, the schools involved have also been busy using the Wallabies Gone Wild education packs to explore topics such as health and wellbeing, loss and bereavement and compassionate Isle of Man.

To complement the education packs we have also held workshops at Hospice for school staff to equip them with skills that will help them deal with loss and bereavement.

We know that one in 25 children aged between five to 16 in the Isle of Man have experienced the death of a parent or sibling and believe it is crucial that a young person has the support and understanding of a trusted adult during these difficult circumstances.

During the workshops our head of wellbeing and supportive care, and lead for the young person’s support service, Lynsey Christian outlined some of the common emotions and ways of grieving that a bereaved young person may experience and gave school representatives a starting point on how they could help their pupils.

These sessions were both well attended and well received, and we are looking forward to working with these schools closely in the future as we continue build on our relationships as a legacy of the Wallabies Gone Wild project.

To find out more about the schools’ involvement in the trail visit www.wallabiesgonewild.im

by Hospice Isle of man

www.hospice.org.im