Nov/Dec 2023

50
South Woodford Village Gazette
COMPASSION
South Woodford resident Michael Walford-Grant is using his recent book
publishing deal to raise funds for The Compassionate Friends, an
organisation that supports bereaved parents
In 2002, on a cold, dark November
morning, my wife and I lost our beautiful
boy, William. He was 13 years old, doing
his paper round on his bike before school
to save up enough money to go on holiday
to Disney World in Florida. He was our
only child. The loss was devastating. The
memory of the policeman arriving at
our front door at 7.30 in the morning will
remain with me forever.
Since then, my wife and I have rebuilt our lives,
one slow, painful step after another. We have
both experienced some very dark moments
along the way.
In 2017, I joined The Compassionate Friends
as a helpline volunteer. The charity provides a
range of support services for bereaved parents
and siblings. I help most Monday evenings.
Because all the volunteers have experienced
the loss of a child, the parents calling the
helpline really appreciate the fact that when
they call, they get to speak to someone who
has gone through something similar to them.
The work is very satisfying, albeit emotional
at times.
Away from the charity, in November of last
year, I signed an international book publishing
deal with an American publishing house. I am
not an author, so securing the contract was,
and is, very exciting. I am an experienced sales
professional, and after a career of working for
companies, I decided to start my own sales
consulting practice. One month before the
pandemic hit, so not great timing!
However, it is through this that I came up
with the idea for the book Sales Unplugged:
The Invaluable “Go To Guide” for Busy B2B
Salespeople. It is a book of sales best practices,
targeted at business-to-business sales
professionals. It took about nine months to
put together and draws upon a vast array
of materials and experience, acquired and
collated over a career spanning more than
30 years. Part two of the book is a collection
of stories and anecdotes, ranging from the
dramatic to the funny to the deeply personal.
The locations for the stories include Dublin,
New York, Abu Dhabi and Austria, plus, of
course, my home town, London.
I am proud of my profession and passionate
about giving something back after
experiencing my loss, which is unlike any
other type of bereavement. So, I am using my
book to raise funds.
The charity is always in need of money to
enable us to continue to support bereaved
parents and siblings with a comprehensive
range of support services. My target is to raise
£1,000 by the end of the year.
If you would like to donate, and optionally
acquire a copy of the book, it would mean a
great to deal me. Thank you.
For more information and to donate,
visit swvg.co.uk/tcf
To advertise, call 020 8819 0595 or visit swvg.co.uk