Paying it forward

At some stage throughout our lives we all need help in one way or another, and for my family, that time was 12 years ago when my husband broke his neck and spent a year in hospital in Brisbane, QLD. Our little village of Bangalow in Northern NSW rallied together and supported us in a myriad of ways. Our friends and family in NZ also banded together and showed their love and support - we felt it from far and wide.

Since then, nothing has felt better for us than being able to pay it forward and help others in their time of need.

We work voluntarily on community projects both locally and further afield.

The Bangalow Lion Hearts was started by me, my husband Richard, and our friend Pippa out of a desire to support local families who find themselves struggling because of illness, accident, job loss, or one of the many other scenarios that can create a need for support from a community who cares. Servicing Bangalow and beyond (the NSW North Coast) we provide home-cooked meals, drive to medical appointments, read to and play scrabble with residents at our local retirement village, dog walk for elderly dog owners and aim to help wherever we can.

If you're up for helping, you can join our FB group here or sign up to the newsletter here.  Richard also grows a huge array of prize-winning herbs and vegetables for the Bangalow Lion Hearts' cooking efforts, and for Liberation Larder who serve food to people in need in Byron Bay. He also donates to Five Loaves Soup Kitchens in Ballina and Lismore, and the Byron Women's Refuge Centre.

I'm also passionate about volunteering my time with other not-for-profits and charities, and do this in a myriad of ways;