As a funeral director, the Hunnaball Family Funeral Group might seem to be more concerned with the end of life than the future, but we disagree. Our work is with people, and people face all kinds of challenges in life. Death will affect the lives of every single one of us at some point, but there are other challenges in life too and they can be even more overwhelming.

“We spend a lot of time with people contemplating end of life scenarios,” says Melanie Hunnaball, “but we’re also at the heart of our local communities. Both death and abuse have been taboo subjects in our society, but we’re now learning to talk about them more and to do something to help people through.  When I heard Patsy from Brave Futures speak at a lunch a few years ago I felt an instant affinity. Her stories of children and young people finding help and support in the midst of some truly awful circumstances were both heart-breaking and inspiring. I knew it was right for us to get involved with Brave Futures and so that’s what we have done.”

Brave Futures

Brave Futures are a charity who offer support to children and young people, up to the age of 18 years, who have experienced sexual abuse. Working in Suffolk and Norfolk, they provide a safe place for children and young people to make sense of the confusion they feel and help to equip them with the skills and tools they need to re-build their futures, manage the trauma they’ve experienced, and help them move from victim to survivor.

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years,” says Melanie, “it’s that life does indeed go on, and we must do everything we can to make a better future for everyone, no matter what they go through.”

The Hunnaball Family Funeral Group have two branches in Ipswich, in Norwich Road and Spring Road, the teams in which were very quick to respond and are now firm supporters of Brave Futures. They look for every opportunity to do what they can to support Brave Futures. In fact, across Essex and Suffolk, the entire Hunnaball Family Funeral Group have offered enthusiastic support in any way they can.

Supporting Brave Futures

In June 2022, for the first time, we entered a team in the Brave Futures Dragon Boat Race at Ipswich Waterfront, raising both valuable funds and awareness by competing with other businesses in the area. Before the day was over and the last race had begun, the team had decided to enter again in 2023. They simply loved being involved in such a good cause and wanted to find other ways to support Brave Futures too.

In May 2023, we are sponsoring the Brave Futures afternoon tea, held in the Willis Towers in Ipswich.

On 3rd June 2023, from 10am, another Hunnaball Family Funeral Group team will race in the Dragon Boat Race on Ipswich Waterfront. You can sponsor our team through Just Giving by following the link.

They are quietly plotting their tactics, but we suspect that the Oxford and Cambridge teams don’t have anything to worry about.

Whatever the future holds, the Hunnaball Family Funeral Group wants to make the world a better place, and supporting charities like Brave Futures is simply another way we can do that.