I would like to provide more for the youth of our parish as both Paul and I were fortunate to be part of a thriving youth group in our home parish

I am Clare. I’m 34 and have lived in the parish since early 2016. I’m married to Paul, who sadly died in December 2017. In January, I changed jobs and now work as a TA at St Bernadette’s where my two young daughters go to school.

When we first moved to the parish, we were encouraged to join in the coffee and biscuits after Mass (Biscuit Club as it’s known in our house) and to become involved in the parish family group, where we have made some lovely friends (and my Mum has reignited old friendships). We wouldn’t have done either of these without the encouragement of others and I feel compelled to ‘pay it forward.’ Similarly, I would like to provide more for the youth of our parish as both Paul and I were fortunate to be part of a thriving youth group in our home parish as teenagers – friendships, experiences and lots of fun that helped to mould us as adults, teachers and parents.