FAMILIES who have lost a loved one were treated to a day out at the zoo by intu Uxbridge.

It was one of the shopping centre’s ongoing Charity of the Year activities for HALO Children’s Foundation, which helps local children and their families after a bereavement.

intu Uxbridge funded the trip to Port Lympne Zoo in Kent on Tuesday for 35 children and parents. They were joined on the coach trip by six members of intu Uxbridge staff.

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intu Uxbridge arranged for a zoo ranger to give private walking tours, and each child was given a £10 voucher to spend in the gift shop.

HALO was set up by Alia Jones in 2013 after her husband Lewis died at 27 following a misdiagnosed brain tumour. With two young children – aged two years and three weeks old – she set up a support group and website for others in a similar position.

www.halochildrensfoundation.org.uk